Taste My Kiss On Your Blood Stained Lips
by xxxMrsSalvatorexxx
Summary: Brooklyn Gilbert, also known as the stunning cousin to Elena and Jeremy Gilbert winds up in Mystic Falls after leaving Stanford university so that she won't have to deal with her asshole of a father. But is it really for the better when she catches Damon Salvatore's eye? Summary inside. Please review!
1. Pilot

_**A/N:** Hello everybody, here is the summary to what this story is all about, it starts right at the beginning of season 1 and it's going to follow closely to the show but things will change slightly to fit Brooke into the picture:_

_Brooklyn Gilbert is the beautiful cousin to Elena and Jeremy Gilbert, and after a while attending Stanford she's decided that moving to Mystic Falls is better than returning home and revealing that she dropped out of college. But is it really for the better when she get's swept into the mystery of Damon Salvatore? Pairing's Damon/OFC, Stefan/Elena._

_Disclaimer: I **do not **own The Vampire Diaries.  
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><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

I've fucked up. _Big time_.

The breeze blew through my hair as I drove past the welcome to Mystic Falls sign, on my way to my cousins house in my convertible. _Here I am, a twenty-one year old woman, running to my younger cousins house because I don't have the guts to go back to my father and tell him that I've quit Stanford university_.

My father, Johnathon Gilbert is such a - for lack of better word - asshole. Being an only child isn't easy, especially when you have someone like my father breathing down your neck twenty-four-seven. Most people say I should have gotten over my resentment towards him a long time ago and that it's extremely rude of me to disrespect the only parental figure I have. And if my father had been anyone other than John Gilbert, I'd probably agree with them.

It didn't exactly help the situation that my mother had passed away when I was nine. She was running late to pick me up from a dancing lesson, and she always used to feel guilty if I was the only one left standing in the parking lot waiting for their mother to collect them. So she drove straight through a red light, not really paying attention to her surroundings, and was hit by a Macy's truck.

She died on impact.

It was from that exact moment when the relationship between my father and I changed. He stopped being the perfect father, and I stopped being the perfect daughter. He could barely look at me because I reminded him too much of my mother, and I began to loathe him for treating me differently to how he used to. As a result, we only communicated with each other when necessary, and our relationship continued to decline as I grew older, especially when I started high school.

High school was one of the times I struggled through the most. It's the time where everybody goes through all of their changes as they try their hardest to figure out what they're meant to do in their life and who they're destined to be. Not to mention all of the other hardships, like figuring out the difference between who your real and fake friends are, breaking up with immature boyfriends and attempting to pass your exams so you can go to university and move on with your life.

It was the time I found myself missing my mother the most. I felt like there was no-one to guide me down the right path, no-one to help me make the right decisions. Hence why I followed my father's advice to go to Stanford to train as a doctor, which I realised months into university was a foolish choice.

It's not that I don't admire doctors, because they do a fantastic job each and every day. But, I'm just not cut out to be one. You have to be focused one hundred percent of the time, there's no room for failure in a career where mistakes can cost someone their life. Dedication to saving lives is key, and I want to help people, I do, but not like this. I know it's going to disappoint John, and I know for a fact there will be hell to pay once he finds out what I've done.

But it's my life, and I'm the only person who should determine how I live it. _I don't exist to follow his orders._

I shook my head, trying to rid my mind of thoughts connected to my incompetent excuse for a father, choosing instead to familiarize myself with Mystic Falls. I closed my eyes for a few seconds in regret as I drove past the grave yard. _You__ should've gone to the funeral. Just because John told you not to go doesn't mean you shouldn't have. _I sighed as I pulled up to Jenna's house, promising myself that I'd go visit my aunt and uncle later today.

I turned off the ignition before retrieving a mirror from my bag, checking that my mascara hadn't run and that the rest of my physical appearance was up to a suitable standard. My chocolate tainted hair cascades about halfway down my chest and my forest green eyes glisten as the sunlight bounces off them. My face is heart-shaped, but most of my bone structure is soft and my skin is a creamy colour, very different to my cousin Elena's olive tone._  
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I exited my car, excitement rising inside of me at the thought of seeing my aunt Jenna again. She isn't technically my aunt as we aren't blood related, but she's always insisted that I'm like a niece to her anyway. She's the one I call when I need someone to talk to, and she does the same with me.

I heard the front door to the house open as I locked my car, deciding that I'd collect my belongings later and that my reunion with Jenna couldn't wait a second longer.

"Brooke!"

"Aunt Jenna!" We screamed simultaneously as we ran towards each other, throwing our arms around each other as we squealed. Jenna pulled back and cupped my face in her hands.

"Wow, I can't believe how much my little Brookie's changed! I'm sure you have all the guys wrapped around your finger!" She said as she winked, making me blush.

"Shut up Jen! C'mon, let's get inside; I want to see my little cousins."

"They're both at school. You would be too if you hadn't dropped out." She narrowed her eyes slightly, and I could see the calculating look in her eyes as she ushered me inside of the house and lead me into the kitchen.

"_Please,_ do not lecture me about Stanford okay. The reason I came here was because I didn't want to get judged about my decision to leave, it's my life, and I should get to choose how I lead it."

"I'm not judging you." I scoffed as I sat myself down on a chair at the breakfast bar.

"Okay, maybe I am slightly, but I mean come on! You're the insanely smart one with the promising future, and not to mention when John finds out, he's going to be pissed!" I flinched. There is still the small matter of informing my father that I've dropped out of Stanford, and I'm delaying the conversation for as long as I possibly can.

"Can't I just wait to see if he figures it out himself?" I asked timidly as Jenna handed me some coffee and took a seat on the other side of the breakfast bar. My aunt sent me a knowing look.

"No." She dead-panned, before a small, mischievous grin appeared on her lips.

"I could always tell him for you." My eyes lit up and I nodded. Jenna hated John and I couldn't blame her - nobody likes my father. Apparently they used to date in high school, but like the stupid idiot he is, he cheated on her and the two of them broke-up. Now, Jenna uses every opportunity she has to annoy him or just piss him off, much to his chagrin.

"Sure, you'd actually be doing me a favour." We laughed and this huge sense of relief swept through me. _It's good to be back; I've missed this little town and its residents. _Something feels different though, I don't know how to describe it._ Things aren't the way they used to be, that's for sure.  
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Jenna tried to update me on my cousins and how the two of them were coping with their parents death. Elena, being the smart and sensible person she is, seems to be dealing with the loss of her parents well. Jeremy on the other hand is playing up, which was surprising to say the least. He's always been so innocent and behaved, so it's hard to believe that he's suddenly just strayed down the wrong path. _Maybe if you'd been here things wouldn't have turned out this way. _I pushed that thought to the back of my mind, hoping that me being here now would give me the chance to redeem myself for not being here during a difficult time in my cousins lives.

After a couple of hours of talking and catching up with Jenna, I found myself walking through the graveyard looking for Grayson and Miranda Gilbert's graves. It's about time I paid my respects to them. I found the two of their graves together, opposite a statue of an angel, and I knelt down in front of them, brushing my hands along the top of the headstones.

"Hey uncle Gray and aunt Miranda. I know this is a bit over due, four months over due." I muttered as I tried to get a bit more comfortable.

"I'm sorry I didn't attend at your funeral. There's no good excuse for me not being there and if I could go back in time I would, but this is gonna have to do. I..." I stuttered, forgetting about what I'd planned on saying as the realisation hit me. They're gone, forever, and they're never coming back. It was easier to accept in California. I was in denial and tried my best not to think about it, but now that I'm here, sitting in front of their resting places, I knew it was impossible to ignore any longer. My throat tightened as I attempted to keep the tears at bay, but failed miserably as a glistening tear rolled down my cheek.

"I love you guys... Say hi to my mom for me." I stood up and brushed down my jeans before I touched their headstones once again. I turned to leave, but paused when suddenly, a crow landed on Grayson's headstone right next to my hand.

"Caw!" Confused and slightly alarmed, my hand slipped from its place on the headstone and dropped down to my side.

"Okay, this isn't weird at all. Hello bird!" I smiled at the crow sarcastically and it cocked its head to the side, cawing simultaneously. My smile faltered slightly under its piercing gaze. It was looking at me patronisingly, like it knew something I didn't. An overwhelming sense of paranoia passed through me as I watched the bird study me, analyse me and look right through me. _Brooke, you're losing it. It's just a bird, a creepy bird, but a bird nonetheless. What is there to be afraid of?_

I shook my head, realising I was being ridiculous and sent one last glance to the crow before turning around, choosing to forget about it and just go back to Jenna's like I had been planning on doing before I got spooked. The sound of the crow's caws stopped as I walked away and I breathed a sigh of relief, continuing to distance myself from the feathered creature. A sharp gust of wind blew by me and I accidently dropped my bag onto the ground, causing its contents to slip out as well.

I groaned lightly as I knelt down to retrieve my items, putting them back inside of my bag and standing up once again. The sound of a caw had my head snapping to the side as my heart-rate increased. _It's back? _My eyes surveyed the area, but there was no crow to be seen. _Now you're just imagining things. _I bit the inside of my cheek and let out a short laugh, which was quickly silenced when without warning, fog appeared out of nowhere and surrounded me.

I gasped, my posture becoming stiff as the fog became more thick. I squinted as my eyes tried to look through it, making out the shape of someone's silhouette fading into the distance, until I couldn't see anyone at all. Alarm bells rang through my head and I blinked as I came to my senses. _What are you still doing here?_

I put one foot in front of the other, running as fast as I possibly could back to Jenna's house, resisting the temptation to look back to see whether the fog was still there, or whether I'd just imagined the entire thing. _It doesn't matter, just keep running._

Out of breath I arrived at the house, my feet leading me straight into the kitchen to quench my thirst, realising that I'd just ran almost two miles in my haste to leave the cemetery. I was so thirsty that I didn't even bother grabbing a glass from the cabinet, I just stook my head underneath the tap, gulping down the water flowing out of it.

"What the hell are you doing Brooke?" Jenna entered the room and I pulled myself away from the tap, breathing in tonnes of air as I tried to regain my breath.

"I was... in the graveyard... and there was a freaky bird... so I ran home." I gasped in between parts of the sentence while Jenna looked at me like I'd just escaped from a mental asylum.

"Right, never mind." She vacated the room, shaking her head as she did so, muttering something about delusional nieces. I rolled my eyes as I finally caught my breath, making my way into the living room and collapsing on the couch. I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the unnerving scene I'd just witnessed at the graveyard as I fell into a deep sleep.

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><p>"Brooke, wake up." I felt someone skake my body gently, and if my ears weren't deceiving me it was my aunt Jenna who was trying to bring me out of my slumber. My eyes opened slowly as they adjusted to the light.<p>

"Hey. What's up?"

"Elena and Jeremy are going to be home in a minute, don't you want to surprise them?" I smiled slightly. Neither of my cousins know that I'm going to be living with them for a while, only Jenna does. Originally I'd planned on getting a place of my own and getting a decent job, but Jenna said that the idea was ridiculous. She said that since she had an empty guest room I could come and stay with them for as long as I wanted.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Let me go and move my car around the block." I rolled off the couch and walked outside, getting into my car and parking it further down the street so that Elena and Jeremy wouldn't recognise it.

After getting out of my car and locking it I turned around to walk down the street, but lost my footing when I felt a huge gust of wind pass by me. My hand darted out to latch onto my car so I could regain my balance, whilst my eyes surveyed the area to see if I could find the cause of the small tornado that almost knocked me over.

I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, in fact, everything seemed completely normal. Nothing was out of place, and I was the only one stood on the pathway. I shook my head as I resumed the walk back to Jenna's house. _You're starting to act like your father, and he's the last person you want to end up like. His talks about people with supernatural abilities are starting to get to you Brooke._

I groaned lightly at the way my train of thought was heading and decided to think of a way I could surprise Elena and Jeremy with my presence. After re-entering Jenna's house I moved to hide behind the front door, smiling mischievously. I know it's childish, but I just couldn't resist.

The door swung open and Elena traipsed into the house, removing her jacket and dropping her bag onto the floor. I crept up behind her and lent closer to her so I could whisper in her ear.

"Happy to see me?"

"Agh!" Elena jumped and span around, holding up her fists as if she was ready to punch an intruder. The sight evoked a laugh from my lips; Elena was definitely not the fighting type.

"Oh my God, Brooke!" She pounced on me, sending us tumbling to the floor with us both laughing all the way.

"Hey Elle. You have no idea how much I've missed you." I said as we both stood up and dusted ourselves off.

"Me too, I haven't seen you in forever! Wait, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at Stanford?" The smile on my face slipped slightly which she noticed immediately.

"It's a long story."

"I've got time." She sent me a teasing smile and I laughed as she led me over to the couch.

"Well, I guess the beginning is the best place to start..." I informed Elena about my decision to leave Stanford and I was relieved when she told me that she backed my choice one hundred percent. That's what I love about Elena - she accepts everyone and welcomes them with open arms, even when they don't deserve it. Secondly, I told her about my father.

"Can I be there when you tell him?" I sent her a knowing smirk.

"I've already told Jenna that she could tell him, so sure, why not? The more the merrier." We joked about it for a little while, until I suddenly had a realisation.

"If Jenna tells him, he's going to know where I am." I scowled while Elena looked at me with pity and sympathy. Jenna joined us moments later, sitting down on the arm chair next to the couch Elena and I were sitting on.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Jen... I know you wanted to tell my dad about Stanford, but if you do he'll know I'm in Mystic Falls and he'll come to drag me straight back to California." A frown appeared on Jenna's face.

"But you can listen in as long as you promise not to laugh too loud." She nodded enthusiastically and Elena and I shared a look of amusement.

"I guess I should go and unpack. Want to help a cousin out with her luggage, Elena?" She smiled as we went outside to find my car. I pulled up on the driveway. Elena grabbed one of my two bags - I don't really own many clothes or possessions, something I plan on changing soon - and headed back inside. I hovered by my car for a few seconds, my eyes involuntarily sweeping the area much like they had earlier._ I'm still having those strange vibes, the kind that tell me I need be careful._

I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and let Elena and Jenna lead me to my room. I used to stay in it when I was younger, and I smiled when I stepped into it. Everything looked exactly the same as it used to: the carpet was still cream, the wallpaper had remained lilac, and the wardrobe, double-bed and computer desk where in the exact same place.

Nothing had changed in this room. It looked like it was cleaned on a regular basis which wasn't a surprise since Jenna likes to keep everything tidy, but other than that it was the same. I felt like I'd returned to a place I could call home, and I couldn't be more grateful to Jenna in that moment for letting me stay.

I even had a little bathroom that I had to myself, and a window on the other side of the room with a huge windowsill, the one I tended to sit in and look at the stars during the night. The girls and I unpacked everything that I had, catching up and talking about stuff that didn't really matter. Elena even mentioned this new guy at her school named Stefan whom it seemed she was smitten with. Then the topic of my stumbling into the house and dying from thirst came up.

"Yeah, why the hell were you doing that?"

"It's a long story, but I went to the graveyard to visit..." I trailed off as I realised that Elena was in the room, but she sent me an encouraging smile.

"Anyway, so I was about to leave when a crow landed on Grayson's headstone and started cawing at me. I ignored it, but when I was trying to leave this fog started to surround me. I'm telling you it, was some freaky shit." I saw Elena's expression turn worried.

"The same thing happened to me the other day when I went to visit my parents." We both wore looks of shock, and neither of us knew how to respond. Luckily, Jenna was still here.

"You're probably experiencing illusions or something, I always knew there was something wrong with you two." She teased before she walked out of my new bedroom, leaving Elena and I on our own.

"So, you're the only person who hasn't asked me how I'm dealing with all of this."

"That's because I know what it feels like to get asked the same annoying question every single day, and I know it's the last thing anyone wants to talk about." Both of our expressions were grim and I felt the need to lighten the mood.

"We can call my dad tomorrow, it's probably best to just get it over with." She smiled and we both joked around for a little bit before she told me she was going to the grill to meet up with some friends, and we both left my room and walked down the stairs as Elena slipped on her coat.

"I'm meeting Bonnie at the grill." Elena said to Jenna who was passing by.

"Okay, have fun. Wait, I got this. Don't stay out late, it's a school night." Jenna winked at her and we all laughed. Elena headed towards the door before she stopped and gasped at the sight of some mysterious stranger stood on the other side. _This must be Stefan._

He was tall, around six foot, had dark blonde hair that was almost brown and his eyes were green like emeralds. _Elena's done well. _I thought as a small smirk appeared on my face and I walked back to my room, leaving the two to have some privacy. I had a shower and came back downstairs to help Jenna make dinner since there was nothing better to do and I wanted to be helpful.

We ate together, joked around like we always do, and started cleaning the dishes. Then we decided to watch television, but there wasn't anything interesting on, so I was incredibly bored.

That was of course until Jeremy walked through the door.

"Jere! It's so good to see you!" I said as I wrapped my arms around my little cousin, pulling him into a hug that he didn't return.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a bored voice, making my smile drop as I pulled away from him.

"Jeremy, stop being so rude!" Jenna scowled, but he just ignored her and walked up the stairs. Jenna noticed the forlorn expression on my face and rubbed my arm comfortingly.

"It's not you Brooke. It's just... You know what I told you about how he's been coping with things." I nodded, trying to make my expression look indifferent.

"It's fine. I'm just going to go get some sleep, I haven't had much recently." I said goodnight to Jenna and walked up the stairs, pausing for a moment outside of Jeremy's room before I shook my head and walked into mine. _There's no point in saying anything tonight Brooke, he won't listen._

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><p>"Hey Brooke. There's a party tonight, do you want to come?" Elena asked me as I stepped out of my bedroom, both of us still in our pyjamas.<p>

"You're going to a party, with alcohol, and you expect me not to tell Jenna?" I asked her as I tried putting on an authoritative voice, but failed miserably.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Jenna. And I'm sorry, but hanging out with a bunch of horny teenagers isn't really my style."I winked before we both went downstairs into the kitchen and had breakfast.

I returned to my room before having a shower and changing into a pair of tight black jeans, throwing on a pair of black open-toed pumps (heels are a _must _have in my wardrobe), and a white, strapless top that was decorated with a pink floral pattern. I put on some light make-up: a little foundation and mascara before heading downstairs, Elena and Jeremy already off at school.

I sat on the sofa and pulled out my laptop, looking for any potential job opportunities that were opening up in Mystic Falls. Unfortunately, for now they all seem to be taken.

I groaned inwardly. I hate being one of those idol people who just sit around all day and do nothing, I get bored, which is what I am now. Even though I don't need a job right now thanks to the allowance I get from my dad every month - which he'll stop paying once he realises I'm not at Stanford - but it's nice to have a reason to wake up every morning. I switched on the television, trying to find something other than documentaries about elephants to watch.

Jenna sat down next to me and I wondered why she wasn't at work, but decided not to question it.

"Look, I know you said that Elena was allowed to listen in when you rang your pathetic excuse for a father, but can we do it now?" Jenna was also going out of her mind with boredom and after a moment of hesitation I agreed, whipping out my phone from my pocket. Jenna and I giggled slightly before I held my finger to my lips, signaling for her to be quiet as I put my phone on speaker.

"Hello."

"Hi daddy, how are you?" I said, making small talk. It was difficult not to laugh at the look on Jenna's face.

"_I'm fine Brooke, it's been a while since I've spoken to you. Wait, aren't you meant to be in class right_ _now_?" I gulped slightly and shoved Jenna lightly when she starting laughing, my nerves kicking in.

"Well, here's the thing, I'm not meant to be in class right now. There's no easy way to tell you this, but I've... I've left Stanford." For about five seconds, there was complete silence. And as expected, in that sixth second, my father's anger filled voice rang through the receiver, almost bursting my eardrums.

"_What? You've left Stanford! How could you do such a thing?_" I couldn't help myself. There was something about aggravating my father that was just... hilarious. I however, didn't want him to know that, so I covered both mine and Jenna's mouths to muffle the sounds of out laughter. "_You were doing fantastic, and you decided to throw it all away! That's it, you're going back to Stanford right away! No complaints!_" He continued to shout down the phone, asking me where I was.

"While this conversation has been pleasant, I think it's best for the both of us if I put an end to it. Bye daddy!" I said in a chipper voice.

"_Don't you dare hang up-_" I pressed the red button on my phone, ending the call immediately.

"Oops!" Jenna and I couldn't contain our laughter. In fact, we were laughing so hard that we were on the floor with tears streaming down our faces. We went silent as my phone began to ring again, unsurprisingly, my father showed up on the caller I.D. We fell straight back into our laughing fit, and I have no idea how long we laid on the floor laughing, but by the time we had calmed down and stood up, the sky outside was pitch black.

"I'm going to go make some dinner or something. Brooke, that was unbelievable!" We giggled and I picked up my phone, looking through all of my missed calls.

_You have 26 missed calls, 14 voice mail messages..._

I deleted every single one of them, not bothering to listen to any of them. When my phone rang again I snorted, but this time it wasn't my sorry excuse for a father - it was Elena.

"Hey Lena. I'm really sorry, but me and Jenna rang John earlier, we just couldn't resist!" When I heard her sniffling down the other end of the phone, my good mood suddenly did a one eighty.

"Lena, what's wrong?"

"_It's Vicki Donavon. She's been attacked by an animal and she's in really bad shape. There's lot's of blood and... I really need you right now, Brooke._"

"Don't worry, it's going to be okay. Just tell me where you are I'll come and get you."

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><p><strong><em>Stefan's pov:<em>**

I ran to the boarding house in vampire speed, slamming the door shut. Zach looked up at me from his seat at his desk.

"What's going on?" He questioned, confused by my sudden appearance.

"Someone else was attacked tonight Zach, and it wasn't me." I wasted no more time talking to him and rushed upstairs, noticing a bird fly into my room.

"Caw!" It landed on my nightstand, and all of my worst fears were confirmed. _What am I going to do? He's found me. He's here, in Mystic Falls, were Elena is._ I turned around slowly, preparing myself for the encounter I knew we were about to have. He was there, smirking as he stood on my balcony.

"Damon." His smirk grew larger as he looked at my face, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Hello, brother." I stared at him for a few moments before the crow started cawing again and Damon stepped forwards, closing in on me. I stood my ground, determined not to back down from him. _I've done that too many times before._

"Birds a bit much, don't you think?" He moved around my room as if he owned the place, picking up random objects I'd accumulated over the years and observed them.

"Wait till you see what I can do with the fog." He quipped.

"When did you get here?"

"Well, I couldn't miss your first day of school." He said in a cheerful voice that was so sickeningly fake that it made my insides churn. I momentarily thought that I was going to throw up the animal blood I'd drank earlier, but I willed myself not to knowing that Damon would probably get a huge kick out of it. He chuckled slightly as he lent against my bookshelf, examining the room with his eyes before they turned their gaze onto me.

"Your hair's different. I like it." He said as he picked up a picture of me and my friend Lexi.

"It's been fifteen years, Damon." He groaned in relief.

"Thank God! I couldn't take another day of the nineties, that horrible grunge look did_ not_ suit you." He went back to smirking as he crossed over to the other side of my room, my eyes following every step that he made.

"Remember Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads." He scrutinised.

"_Why_ are you here?" I demanded angrily, rolling my eyes as his smirk grew even wider.

"I missed my little brother." I scoffed.

"You hate small towns, they're boring and there's nothing for you to do." He rolled back his shoulders.

"I've managed to keep myself busy."

"You know you left that girl alive tonight, that's pretty clumsy of you." He hissed slightly and grimaced.

"Ahh, that could be a problem. For you." His expression returned to it's usual cocky state and I shook my head.

"Why are you here?" It's impossible, he can't know. His eyes gleamed with mischief at what he was about to say, and I tried to appear as if I wasn't dreading what was about to come out of his mouth.

"I could ask you the same question, however, I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up into one little word. _Elena._"

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><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

I arrived just in time to see Vicki Donavon being put into an ambulance with her brother Matt jumping in after her. I could see Elena in the distance leaning against a bench trying to be strong and hold her emotions in, but I know her better than anyone. I sprinted over to her and when she spotted me I opened my arms and she rushed into them while I rubbed her head soothingly.

"Are you okay?" I did a quick check over of her with my eyes as we pulled apart, satisfied that she was physically okay. But mentally? What she saw must have been mentally scarring for life.

"I guess, it's more shock than anything else. The paramedics said that she was going to be fine and that she just needs to rest." I nodded in understanding. She looked down at the floor for a moment before her tear filled eyes returned to mine.

"There was so much blood... I thought that I was going to have to watch her die. And I can't do that Brooke, I can't watch anyone else die. Promise me that you're not going to die on me." Most people would find her demand confusing, and a little amusing, but I understand. I can remember what it feels like right after a relative dies.

You feel lost, broken, and alone. And the last thing you want after someone close to you dies, is to lose another person you love.

"I promise. I'm not going anywhere, especially after the conversation I had earlier with my dad. You're stuck with me forever now, soon enough your going to be begging me to leave." She chuckled a little.

"As if I could ever get bored of my beautiful, intelligent and entertaining cousin." I scoffed before smiling slightly.

"Please, you're the one who is clever and fantastic, not to mention stunning." She laughed, but then a teasing smile replaced it.

"Says the person who in high school was voted student body president, prom queen and valedictorian." I rolled my eyes; nobody cares about who you were in high school. Nonetheless, I wanted to cheer Elena up, so I continued to keep up our rapport.

"Yeah, and I'm certain you'll exceed me when the time comes." We giggled again, stopping when Elena's friend Bonnie walked up to us.

"Hey Bonnie." She smiled at me slightly in response before her expression turned grim.

"Elena, there's no way that I'm psychic, I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling..." She trailed off, and I knew my face was contorted in confusion._ Psychic?_

"Bonnie, what?" Bonnie was silent for a few moments, deadly silent, and I felt uneasiness rise in me.

"It's just the beginning." I looked to my right to see Jeremy standing next to a wall with his shoulders hunched over, and I excused myself from the girls. _I'm not sure I like the direction their conversation is going in._

"Are you okay?" I went to rub his shoulder but he flinched away from my touch, causing my hand to fall back down to my side.

"I called Jenna, she's on her way." I'd forgotten to tell Jenna about what had happened before I'd left the house, so I'd rang her on the way in the car. Jeremy shot me a glare but I found myself glaring back at him with as much fierceness as he was, causing his to falter slightly. _If he wants to treat me like dirt then I'll treat him like dirt too._

After a few moments of us glaring at each other, I tried to lighten the mood. Noticing that he was taking rather large gulps from his beer bottle unnerved me. He shouldn't be doing alcohol and drugs, he's fifteen for God's sake, sixteen in a couple of months. I subtly tried to get the warning across.

"You see those people in uniform, they're the police." He ignored me, tipping his head back and downing the rest of the beer bottle's content defiantly. He threw it to the ground, avoiding my glares.

"People are going to stop giving you breaks Jeremy, they just don't care anymore. They don't remember that your parents are dead because they have their own lives to deal with. The world has moved on, and I know it's hard but you need to try too."

"You haven't moved on." He accused as he referred to my mother. I sent him an icy glare, backing down from the challenge he had presented me with. _He wants me to get mad so he has someone to argue with._

"Your parents wouldn't want this." I stated, walking away from him and heading off to find Elena to see if she needed a ride.

My eyes welled with tears at the thought of my mother. Honestly, I don't think anyone ever fully moves on. I've accepted the fact that she's gone and that she's never coming back. I don't feel sad or bad when I think about her. But that doesn't mean I never stop missing her.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Stefan's pov:<em>**

"She took my breath away, Elena. So did her cousin, Brooke, is it?" My hard look didn't seem to deter my brother. He carried on walking around and picking up my belongings, sending smirks in my direction. And now, he's talking about Elena and her cousin. I knew he'd notice Elena right away - what with her resemblance to our dead ex-girlfriend - but I didn't count on him noticing her cousin. I only saw her briefly the other day and we haven't been introduced, but Elena absolutely adores her. That means that there's another person added to the list of people I have to protect.

_Your protection means nothing. He's stronger than you, even more so when you're on this diet._

"Elena's a dead-ringer for Katherine, and Brooke, she's stunning. Not to mention she smells _incredible._" Damon turned towards me to send me a knowing look.

"Is it working Stefan? Being around her? Being in her world, does it make you feel _alive?_" Damon walked closer towards me, flicking a piece of dirt off his trademark leather jacket.

"She's not Katherine."

"Well that's good. We both know how that ended." Damon stopped just feet in front of me, towering over me at his six foot one height, while mine was only five foot eleven.

"Tell me something, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?" I clenched my jaw. How he finds my suffering amusing, I'll never know. _Everything is just a game to him, and everybody is just a pawn in his wicked schemes._

"I know what you're doing Damon, it's not going to work." I turned to walk away but he locked my arm in a steel like grip, holding me in place.

"C'mon! Don't you crave a little?" He shoved me hard, sending me back a few steps.

"Stop."

"Let's do it together. I saw a couple of girls earlier. Or lets just cut straight to the chase. Let's just go straight for Elena and Brooke!" I shoved him back roughly, yelling at him to stop it. The idea of human blood was tempting, but I can't do it. I have developed too much of a conscious for that, and I will not let Damon come back to Mystic Falls to destroy me, especially by threatening Elena and her cousin Brooke.

"Imagine what their blood tastes like. I can." My face vamped out as I lost all of my restraint and will power.

"I said stop!" I ran at lightening speed towards him, causing the two of us to crash through the window and tumble to the ground. I groaned as I tried to pick myself up off the ground, but the broken glass from the window sliced into my hands and my legs buckled underneath my weight. I fell back to the ground, breathing heavily.

Summoning up as much strength as I could I tried again and managed to get onto my knees. I swiveled around slowly, searching for Damon, until I realised he wasn't on the ground at all.

"I was impressed. I'll give it a six, you missed on style but I was pleasantly surprised." He called out as he leaned against a brick wall, clapping at me mockingly. Regaining some energy as my body slowly started to repair itself, I stood up, still gasping for air.

"Very good with the face, 'ahh ahh' thing." He laughed as he did a fake imitation of what I'd looked like in my true form, and I was too tired to even respond with a retort.

"That was good."

"It's all fun and games Damon, huh? But where ever you go, people die!" I shouted out in a hoarse voice while he shrugged and looked at me knowingly.

"Well, that's a given."

"Not here. I won't allow it." He grinned like a Cheshire cat that got the cream and walked towards me.

"I'll take that as an invitation."

"Damon, please! After all of these years can't we just give it a rest?" I asked, in a last attempt to change his mind. I realised that I shouldn't have even bothered, because it's not like he's really going to listen to me, is it?

"I promised you an eternity of misery so I'm just keeping my word."

"Stay away from Elena, and while you're at it her cousin too." He raised an eyebrow in response before pretending to look worried about something.

"Where's your ring?" I looked down at my hand to find that my daylight ring was missing_; _I shot Damon a look full of disdain.

"Oh yeah, Sun's coming up in a couple of hours and poof, ashes to ashes." I stared at him before he sighed in annoyance.

"Relax. It's right here." He raised his arm towards me and I snatched my ring out of his hand immediately, afraid he would suddenly speed off and leave me without it. He smirked as I slid it onto my middle finger before his face changed and his hand locked itself tightly around my neck. He threw me at the garage door and I felt myself smash into it before I hit the floor. I let out another loud groan, opening my eyes to see Damon hovering over me.

"You're stupid to think you're stronger than me, you lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. I wouldn't try it again." Damon spat out each word slowly, burning them into my brain. Damon cocked his head to the side before smirking, yet again.

"I think I woke Zach up. Sorry Zach!" He whistled as he strolled away, leaving me lying on the ground in agony, and full of unanswered questions. _Why did he have to come back? Why now? And why does he have to hurt the people I was beginning to care about?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Damon's pov:<em>**

I sat down at a table, winking at one of the waitresses before deciding to listen in on the conversations of Mystic Falls locals. My thoughts strayed to my brother.

Saint Stefan hasn't changed at all. _What a surprise._

He's still on his high horse about humans, but he really doesn't get it. _All they are to us, is meals. Sustenance. Other than that they're pathetic excuses for a race._

I know exactly what Stefan would say: don't feed on humans, it's not right, feeding on animals is so much better._ I'd never, ever, adopt the Stefan diet and eat woodland creatures. I'd sooner spit on my own pile of ashes._

My little brother _obviously _seems to have forgotten that once upon a time, he was the villain in this story. He was the one who slaughtered every human he came by, drained them dry and ripped them to pieces. Then that wench Lexi changed everything because - stupidly - I asked her to.

I rolled my eyes. Sitting in the Mystic grill and eavesdropping on people's conversations was starting to get boring.

"_Why hasn't he called? Why-_"

"_I think I'm definitely going to get this promotion-_"

"_I'm inappropriate and always say the wrong thing, and Elena always says the right thing._" Now _that _conversation sounded interesting. _Elena. Hmm._

I listened to the blonde girl who sat a few tables away, watching as she vented out her insecurities to the caramel skinned girl opposite her. _Maybe she'd get the guy if she wasn't constantly whining twenty-four-seven. _Grudgingly, I forced myself to listen to the chick flick moment, knowing that it would be in my best interest to get to know this person. _She's an easy target, and an easy way to worm my way into Elena's house._

After her friend left I caught her eye, sending her a lop-sided smirk. I heard her heart skip a beat, not to my surprise of course. _I tend to have that affect on women._ The blonde didn't notice when my demeanor turned patronizing, too engrossed in my good looks. _She has no idea what I have in store for her, does she?_

Suddenly, my train of thought went down a different track. There's something about Elena that doesn't attract me. She's shares a remarkable resemblance to Katherine, but that isn't enough. I found my attention wandering elsewhere, towards her cousin, Brooke. She's beyond beautiful, and I'm sure she's _wild _in the sack. She'll be the perfect person to use as a distraction until I figure out how to release Katherine from the tomb.

Besides, even if I did find Elena appealing, Stefan's like her personal guard dog, always there to keep her out of harms way. But he can't defend both of them at the same time, and I think it's obvious who he'd rather protect.

I continued to smile insolently at the young blonde.

_I have a feeling that I'm going to like it here._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** So that was the first chapter, please leave a review and let me know what you think. In the next chapter, both Brooke and Elena will meet Damon._

_**Review! :)**  
><em>


	2. The Night Of The Comet

_**A/N:** Hey guys, hope you're enjoying my story so far. This is the chapter where Brooke and Damon meet, so I hope you'll like it. :)  
><em>

_ Thank you to all of the people who favourited and alerted, and thankyou to **abby102030405060708090, Lulu-144, britt4565, bump-in-the-night1990, GracieClaire, xxxFlameHeartxxx **and** lucyinthesky** for reviewing!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

Today feels different.

I don't know how else to describe it, but something seems different. Good different. Like when you're expecting something incredible to happen, but you don't know why.

Shaking my head I rolled out of bed, heading into my bathroom so that I could do my usual morning routine that consisted of having a shower, getting dressed and applying my make-up. I put on my make-up slightly heavier today, applying some black eye liner, coating my eyelashes in mascara and putting on some cherry red lipstick.

Jenna needs moral support today; she's going to visit Jeremy's history teacher, and I've heard that the guy's a tool. So both me and my aunt want to look like professional, strong independent women, none of which we actually are, but we have decided to put our miserable acting skills to the test. I re-entered my room in my underwear, fishing through my wardrobe as I searched for the outfit I planned on wearing.

I put on my black pencil skirt that hugged my curves perfectly and reached just above my knees. I tucked in a short sleeved, low cut white blouse that had thin black stripes going down vertically, and picked out a large black belt and threaded it through the loop holes on my pencil skirt.

Jenna's outfit is similar to mine, except for the fact that her blouse is red. _I'm just hoping that Jeremy's teacher doesn't think we're doing this for his benefit, even though we are._ Hopefully our looks will score us some points.

I put on a pair of black pumps that stood at about four inches high and then began to contemplate what to do with my hair. I was planning on leaving it straight, but I needed a second opinion.

"Elena, what should I do with my hair? Leave it down or put it up?" I pulled my hair back to show her as we stood in the hallway while she mulled over the options I had given her.

"I think you should put it up but leave a few pieces stray, so you look a little more laid back." She said as she helped me with my hair. When we were finished, Jenna came rushing out of her room dressed almost identically to me.

"Brooke, Elena. What should I do with my hair?" Elena and I shared a look as we laughed. _Jenna and I always seem to be on the same wave-length._

"Stunning stewardess." I said as she pulled her hair up.

"Boazy housewife." Elena said as she put her hair down. I looked at Elena weirdly for a second.

"You're feisty today." Jenna commented, having similar thoughts to me.

"I feel good! Which is rare, so I've decided to go with it. Fly free, walk on the sunshine and all that stuff."

"Yeah, I have the same kind of feeling." I stated as Jenna and I admired our appearances in the mirror. Jenna looks absolutely beautiful, as always, but I wasn't sure whether the look suited me. Jenna obviously seemed to notice the drop in my confidence.

"You look phenomenal. Much better than I do, after all, I'm the 'boazy housewife'." She air quoted with her fingers, causing me to giggle in amusement as she sent an insulted look to Elena, who just shrugged in response. I hooked my arm through Jenna's as we traipsed down the stairs while Elena followed us. Walking into the kitchen I made the three of us some coffee, sighing in delight as its scent drifted to my nose. _My father always said I was addicted to caffine, as was my mother._ The thought of John made me pause in my movements when I went to sit down at the breakfast table.

Even though I found the situation hilarious a few days ago, I certainly don't now. As much as I'd love to, I can't avoid my father forever. Eventually he's going to realise that I'm in Mystic Falls, and when he does all hell will break loose. I took a large gulp of my drink, trying to convince myself that by the time he does find me, he'll have calmed down considerably. It wasn't working.

"Hey, where's Jeremy?" Elena's voice pulled me away from my thoughts.

"He left early. Something about getting to wood-shop early to finish a bird house." I smiled, pleased that Jeremy was applying himself to something. My smile dropped, however, as I noticed the look on Elena's face. _Jeremy doesn't take wood-shop, does he?_

"There is no wood-shop, is there?" Elena replied to Jenna's question with a no and I shook my head in despair._ Jeremy's spiraling down an extremely dark path, and if he doesn't stop soon he's going to be stuck there forever._ The problem with Jeremy is that there's only so much you can say to him until he gets annoyed, after that he just ignores you and does his best to do the exact opposite thing you want him to do.

* * *

><p>"As Jeremy's teacher I'm concerned, this is the third day of school and he's skipped six classes." Jenna and I leaned forward slightly. I looked at my aunt, knowing from the frown on her face that she was probably cursing at him internally.<p>

"Mr Tanner, are you aware that Jeremy and Elena's parents died?"

"Four months ago, a great loss. A car accident. Wickery bridge if I remember correctly." I glanced at him, realising that Mr Tanner wasn't sympathetic in the slightest. I understand that the death of Miranda and Grayson didn't affect him because he didn't know them, but that doesn't give him an excuse to act like a jerk.

I subtly rolled my eyes. It's like I said to Jeremy after the animal attack on Vicki, everyone else moves on, meaning you have to too. The day Grayson and Miranda died was an emotional day for us, especially Elena and Jeremy, but for nearly everyone else around the world it was just a normal day. Maybe even a good day. Unless it's related to you, you don't really take that much notice. You here about deaths on the news constantly, but it doesn't affect you that much unless someone you know, care and love dies.

"And you're related to the family how? The mother's kid sister? And you? The father's neice?" Both Jenna and I nodded in conformation as he flipped through one of his folders and my aunt and I glanced at each other. _This is not going as planned. _

"Younger sister, yes." Jenna informed him while I rubbed the back of my neck nervously.

"Six classes, are you sure? I mean, that's kind of hard to do, especially within three days." I asked him, trying to down play the situation and make it seem as if it was nothing. He shook his head, sending me a knowing look.

"Not when you're on drugs." Jenna was stunned into silence, obviously having no idea that Jeremy would do something like that. I on the other hand had already noticed. Studying medicine to become a doctor at Stanford does help when looking for substance abusers, after all. The signs were blindingly obvious: the drinking; the bad attitude and blood shot eyes, are all usually symptoms of drug abuse. I could see Jenna panicking out of the corner of my eye. _No doubt she thinks that this is all her fault because she hadn't realised sooner._

"It's his attempt at coping Miss Sommers, the signs are there. He's moody, withdrawn, argumentative, hung over... Are there any other relatives in the picture?" Jenna's face paled as she tried to think of something suitable to say, so I rejoined the conversation in an attempt to help out my distressed aunt. I smiled brightly as I captured his attention.

"Mr Tanner, Miss Sommers is their sole guardian. She was chosen by Grayson and Miranda to look after their children, and I know that they wouldn't have given her this responsibility if they weren't one hundred percent sure she could handle it. Besides, I'm around now, so I can help her out with Elena and Jeremy." Tanner just scoffed in response and my smile disappeared.

"Hmm. Could there be? Your father perhaps, Miss Gilbert." He rebuffed everything I had just said and brought my father into the picture. If the rebuffle didn't aggravate me, the mention of my father did.

"What are you suggesting?"

"It's an impossible job, isn't it? Raising two teens." Jenna scoffed in denial.

"It's been tough, but no. It's not." Tanner's expression turned triumphant.

"Wrong answer. It is an extremely impossible job, and anything less means you're not doing it properly." I bit the inside of my cheek so hard that I felt the taste of blood hit my tongue. How the hell would he know?_ Jackass..._

"And with all do respect Mr Tanner, there is two of us now. We are both fully capable of looking after my two cousins, and your opinion obviously doesn't matter because no-one else has criticised my aunt's capabilities at parenting, she's actually been complimented, and I'm sure Jeremy and Elena will tell you the same." I said, trying to keep the bitterness out of my tone of voice.

"And with all do respect, _Miss Gilbert, _your opinion doesn't matter either."

* * *

><p>It's official - Tanner is a jackass.<p>

He treated me and Jenna like insubordinate children, so much in fact that I'm contemplating whether he's worse than my father, and that isn't something I do often. I clenched my fists tightly around the steering wheel as I made my way over to the grill. I'd just dropped Jenna off at home, she was planning on confronting Jeremy about drugs and school, and I really wasn't in the mood to stick around for that. Instead, I told Elena that I'd pick her up from the grill and drive her over to Stefan's. I think she said she was planning on jumping his bones or something, but I'm not sure since I wasn't really paying attention.

I pulled up outside the grill and waited for Elena to say goodbye to her friends while I pulled my hair out of its up do and ran my fingers through it. _So much for having a good feeling about today._

"Hey." Elena said as she jumped into the car and buckled up her seatbelt. I began driving to Stefan's, following Elena's directions.

"What's wrong?" I sighed grudgingly.

"The meeting with Tanner didn't go well. He basically told me and Jenna that we're shitting ourselves if we think we can take care of you and your brother." She grimaced slightly.

"You just got Tannered. Everyone hates him."

"Well I should introduce him to my father, they'd get along like a house on fire." I said bitterly, before noticing the upbeat expression Elena was sporting. I decided to question her on it.

"Why are you so chipper?"

"It's nothing... _Just Caroline egging me on to go and jump Stefan._" She said the latter part of her sentence so quietly that I had to strain my ears to hear it; I chuckled slightly as I processed what she'd said.

"Do I need to give you the talk, Elena?" She flinched noticeably.

"No thanks, I got the talk a couple of years ago, and it was the most awkward thing I've ever experienced."

"Mine's worse, trust me. My first talk was when I was seven years old, with the grim reaper nonetheless. Consider yourself _lucky_." Elena's eyes widened in horror.

"_Seven!_ And with John! That is pretty unlucky... Fine, yours is worse." I nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, it is. You _really _don't want to know what goes on in that man's head." We both shuddered at the thought and ended the conversation there, arriving at this big, no, _gigantic_ house. Elena told me that it was the Salvatore Boarding house and that this was were Stefan lived.

"Okay, wish me luck." I laughed a little before jokingly giving her the thumbs up.

"Good luck! Make sure you use protection." I winked as she exited my car and walked up to the boarding house. My hands gripped the steering wheel and just as I was about to drive off, I noticed that Elena had left her purse on the back seat, with her mobile phone and other necessities in it. I sat still for a moment, contemplating whether I should just drive off or go into Stefan's house to give it to her.

I decided to go with the latter, knowing that she'd get frustrated if I left her without it. Swinging the car door open, I stepped out onto the pavement and walked down the pathway to the boarding house, holding Elena's purse in my hand.

I went to knock on the door but stopped when I noticed that it was open. Cautiously I stepped inside, my heels hitting the hard wooden floor. My eyes swept around the hallway in transfixation, completely captivated by the sheer beauty of this house. It was magnificent. The ceilings were incredibly high, there was oak hardwood flooring, dark creamy wallpaper, and the hallway looked never-ending.

Snapping out of my daze I quickly came to my senses and realised that I was being extremely rude. I cleared my throat, remembering why I'd ventured into this house in the first place.

"Elena!" I called out, but didn't get a response. _She probably can't hear you._ I called out her name again, only to be met with silence. I decided that I was just going to leave her purse by the door, hoping she'd find it, but I paused at the sound of an eerily familiar animal.

_Caw!_

I span around, startled by the noise. A crow - presumably the one from the graveyard - flew into the house while I instinctively clutched my chest at the sight. It zoomed straight past me and I turned, trying to keep the creepy bird in my line of vision, but my heart stopped when instead of seeing a crow, I came face to face with a man. A very, _very _attractive man.

He appeared to be around my age, maybe a couple of years older. He had dark, raven tainted hair, blue cobalt eyes that looked straight through me, making my legs feel a little weak. From what I could tell his body was slim, yet defined, toned and his black, short sleeved shirt clutched to his muscles tightly. His jaw line was sharp, as was the rest of his bone structure, and his lips... don't even get me started.

I watched as his eyes traveled down my form and I felt myself shiver involuntarily under his piercing gaze.

"I'm... I'm sorry, for barging in." I breathed out, becoming annoyed with the fact that I couldn't hide the affect this mysterious stranger had on me. _He's not even muttered so much as an 'hello' and you're already turning into a pile of goo._

"The door was... open." I said, my eyes narrowing in confusion as I turned around to find the door shut firmly into place.

"You must be Brooke, right?" I nodded immediately, entranced by the sound of his voice.

"I'm Damon, Stefan's brother." He grinned at me crookedly and I felt my own lips mimic the motion. _Wait,_ _didn't Elena say that Stefan didn't have any siblings? _

"I didn't know that Stefan had a brother, he didn't tell Elena."

"Well, Stefan's not one to brag. And _you_ must be Elena." He said without turning. My attention drifted to the stairs as Elena began to walk down the steps slowly.

"Yes. And you're Damon, if I heard correctly." He smiled in response.

"Please, come. I'm sure Stefan will be along in a second." He ushered the two of us into the parlor, Elena and I gasping as we took in its beauty. _I've only been in two rooms, but this already feels like my dream house._

"Wow. This is your living room?" Elena breathed out much like I had earlier.

"Living room, parlour... seventies auction. It's a little kitchy for my taste." I had no idea what he was talking about, this place was incredible. But, I guess if you live with it all of the time then you stop noticing it.

"I see why my brother's so smitten." Elena and I glanced at each other, confusion etched onto our faces.

"It's about time. For a while there I never thought he'd get over the last one... Nearly destroyed him." He said, looking solely at Elena while I once again became puzzled. _Destroyed him? How?_

"The last one?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend... Oh. You two haven't had the awkward ex's conversation yet." Damon remarked as he saw Elena's posture go stiff.

"Nope." She said awkwardly, and the atmosphere seemed to change. All of us were just stood there with no idea what to say.

"Oops. Well I'm sure it'll come up now."

"Or maybe he didn't tell you cause he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound." I could see the wheels turning in Elena's head, trying to place the pieces of the puzzle together. From what I've heard, Stefan doesn't sound like the rebound type of guy, but a lot of what Damon was saying made sense. It would look a bit suspicious on Stefan's part.

"We all know how those relationships end. I'm sure you've broken a few hearts." He said, but this time his speech was directed at me. I cursed at myself internally as I felt my cheeks burn hot, knowing that I was blushing.

"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end."

"I'm a fatalist." His ocean blue eyes held a hint of heart-ache in them and something that looked like betrayal. I wondered how on Earth any woman on the planet would have it in their heart to leave this handsome, alluring, sexy guy in their right minds, because whoever he'd been with before certainly had.

"Hello Stefan." Damon greeted, his eyes never leaving mine. Elena turned towards the doorway immediately, and after a few moments of staring at Damon I did the same.

Stefan was stood meters away from us with an aggravated look painted onto his face._  
><em>

"Elena, I didn't know you were coming over." Stefan crossed his arms over his chest and spoke in a cold, detached voice. _What's his problem?_

"I know, I should of called-"

"Oh don't be silly, you're welcome here anytime isn't she Stefan?" Stefan just continued to look expressionless.

"You know, I should break out the family photo albums. Or some home movies, but I have to warn you ladies, he wasn't always such a looker." All of us chuckled apart from Stefan. He lent against the door frame, looking disinterested._  
><em>

"Thank you for stopping by Elena, it's nice to see you. And Brooke, is it? Nice to meet you." He directed the latter part of his sentence to me.

"Likewise, Stefan." I glanced at Damon awkwardly and he returned my look before his eyes shot back to his brother's.

"Yeah well, we should probably go. It was nice to meet you Damon."

"Great meeting you too Elena." She walked up the steps of the parlour, stopping in front of Stefan whilst I turned to face Damon.

"Goodbye Damon, it was a pleasure meeting you." He smirked slightly and stepped towards me.

"The pleasure was all mine, Brooklyn, hope I see you around." I smiled. I don't usually like it when people address me by my full name, but I loved the way it rolled off of Damon's tongue.

His hand found mine and he brought it up to his lips, pressing a tender kiss to the back of it. A bolt of electricity shot up my arm at the motion before he ever so slowly let go of my hand, causing it to fall back to my side. The spark disappeared immediately, leaving only a tingling sensation in its wake. _Oh, you'll definitely be seeing me._

"Stefan." Elena said, waving a hand in front of Stefan's face as she tried to capture his attention, but he was too busy watching me and Damon interact to notice. My eyes swept over his form as I tried to work out why he was acting so weird, but I didn't have a chance to when his eyes came back to life.

His eyes flashed to Elena as he stepped to the side, allowing the two of us to walk past him. Something inside of me couldn't resist taking another look at the eldest Salvatore before we left, so I turned my head to the side, catching his blue eyes for no longer than two seconds before I walked out of the door and back to my car where Elena was waiting to be let in.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Damon's pov:<em>**

I whistled at Brooke's retreating figure. _She looks absolutely ravishing in that pencil skirt. The things I could do to her..._

I chuckled to myself slightly. She's even hotter than I thought she was that day in the graveyard. The light bounces off her brunette locks, her forest green eyes dazzle like twinkling stars in the night sky, her smile can light up a room, and her body looked fantastic. Not to mention she smells _exquisite._

I was right; She'll be the perfect distraction until I finally get Katherine out of the tomb.

"Great gals. They've got... spunk. Not to mention both are absolutely gorgeous." I laughed slightly at the look on Stefan's face._ What's his problem? Oh yeah, that's right. Me._

"_You_ on the other hand look pooped." Stefan continued to look at me with disdain as he stepped into the parlour.

"Have you over exerted yourself again? Let me guess, hospital." I stated as he walked by me, shoving me but failing so miserably that he couldn't even knock me back a step. _That's what happens when you drink puppy blood._

"Someone had to clean up your mess." Stefan spoke tiredly as he fiddled around with his daylight ring.

"Well, were you successful? Did your powers of persuasion work? Remember, if you don't feed properly none of those little tricks work right." I winked, knowing that it would irritate the hell out of him.

"How long were Elena and Brooke here?" Stefan demanded in his cut-the-crap-Damon tone as I like to call it. It did nothing to frighten me in the slightest, in fact, I have to hold back a laugh every time he uses it.

"Are you worried, Stefan? Scared we may be _doomed _to repeat the past? Isn't that why you play your game 'I'm a high school human'?"

"I'm not playing any game." Stefan objected, though I could see the unmistakable look of denial written in his eyes.

"Of course you are. We both know that the closest you'll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open and _feed _on it." I spat out the last words viciously as I came closer to him, leaning closer to his ear as I spoke the latter part of my sentence before I went to walk past him, pausing as he grabbed my arm.

"What kind of game are you playing, Damon?" _Oh, you mean my diabolical master plan to rescue my beloved Katherine - who just happens to be your ex-girlfriend - from the tomb where another twenty-six incapacitated vampires currently reside? _I shrugged.

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" Grinning slightly I pulled my arm out of his grasp and walked into my room, planning out the next phase of my plan. Tonight is the comet, after all.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

"He's on the rebound and has raging family issues." Elena was speaking about her new found love life to Jenna and I as we prepared dinner in the kitchen, chopping up some vegetables.

"Well, at least it's only an ex-girlfriend. Wait until you date a guy with mommy issues, or cheating issues... or feminine issues. You've had that, right Brooke?" I laughed as I looked up at the two of them.

"Not so much, no. I've had the cheating one, but none of the other ones you've just described." I giggled at the look on Jenna's face. _She sure knows how to pick her men._

"Am I the only person in the entire world doomed to get all of the sucky guy's?" I nodded, causing her to sigh in frustration.

"What happened with the cheating issue?" Elena asked me as I finished preparing the vegetables.

"To cut a long story short, we got together, everything was going great, and then I caught him in bed with my best friend. Scratch that, _former _best friend." Elena and Jenna's expressions softened and Jenna rubbed my arm comfortingly. I smiled reassuringly at them. It doesn't really bother me that much anymore, it's in the past and that's where it's going to stay._  
><em>

"Brooke, I'm sorry." The two apologised.

"It's okay. I'm over it, trust me. Neither of them are worth the heart-ache."

"See, you should take Brooke's advice. It's not worth the heart-ache." I heard the sound of the front door opening and my eyes dashed towards Jeremy's slouched figure.

"Jeremy," Jenna said warningly, but he didn't take any notice. He just ignored us and began a slow decent up the stairs. Elena shook her head at his behaviour as Jenna and I both followed him and stood at the bottom of the staircase.

"Jeremy, where were you?" Jenna asked sternly. Jeremy halted and turned around, the redness in his eyes very prominent._ How he expected Tanner not to notice how high he's been getting, I'll never know.  
><em>

"No more 'stoners ed' Jenna. I get it, you were cool once, and that's cool." Jeremy gave her the thumbs up in fake admiration before turning to walk back up the stairs. Unfortunately for me, I just couldn't let it slide. I grabbed the apple in Jenna's hands and launched it as hard as I could at his back, forcing him to stop.

"Ouch! Why Brooke, why did you do that?"

"Listen up. Quit ditching class or your grounded. No discussion." Jenna nodded in affirmation, but for some reason it made Jeremy smile, almost sleepily.

"Parental authority, I like it. It's just a shame you can't have kids, isn't it? You'd have the whole discipline thing down perfectly. Sleep tight." He resumed his walk to his room, not sparing a second glance at us as I felt something break inside of me.

_It's a shame you can't have kids, isn't it?_

Elena gasped and out of the corner of my eye I could see Jenna's face turn bright red. I knew she was about to do something stupid so I grabbed her hands in an attempt to stop her from dashing up the staircase after him.

"Jenna it's fine, just drop it!"

"I don't care! That was the cruelest thing he ever could have to said to you, how could he do that?" She pulled her hands out of my grasp and marched up the stairs, heading into Jeremy's room and shouting at him. Meanwhile, Elena walked over to me but I held up my hands to stop her.

"I'm just going to head to bed." She sent me a pitying look as I tried to keep myself from tearing up. _The last thing I want right now is pity._

"What about dinner?"

"... I think I just lost my appetite." I ran up the stairs and into my room, slamming the door shut and falling back against it. Tears blurred my vision as I slid down the door, clutching my chest with my hands as I rocked back and forth slowly.

_I know that Jeremy's annoyed with me for not being here sooner, but why did he have to bring that up, of all things?_

Glistening drops of water slid down my cheeks, soaking my eyelashes with water. I'd found out a couple of years ago that it would be impossible for me to have kids. At first, it didn't really affect me. I just felt numb, like a part of me was missing. I didn't think much of it at the time because I'd felt that way ever since my mother had passed away. But having that opportunity taken away from me was what hurt me the most.

If I'm being honest, until then I'd never been sure that I even wanted kids. They'd never really been a part of the picture, mostly because without a mother figure there to guide me, I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to provide a stable home for a child.

It was only when I walked by a park one day on my way to meet up with a friend for coffee that I realised that maybe being a parent wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Having someone there to love, cherish and protect with your life. Help out with all of their problems and give them suitable advice whenever they needed it. Making someone feel like they belong, and have a great purpose to fulfill in the world.

But then reality comes crashing down and you realise that you're never going to get the chance to do any of that, so a void inside of you starts to grow. A dark, lurid void that no matter how hard you try to forget about, never seems to go away.

* * *

><p>"Sorry I'm late guys, do you still need help handing out the flyers?" I asked as I approached Elena and Bonnie, who were handing out flyers for the party tonight. My long brown hair was in waves as I hadn't had time to straighten it, and I'd thrown on some light foundation and mascara. I was wearing a light, baby blue - which as of yesterday suddenly seemed to be my favourite colour - tube dress that came halfway down my thigh, and a pair of wedges.<p>

"No, we just finished. Are you okay, Brooke? You look a little tired." Bonnie remarked. I hadn't gotten much sleep last night, so I didn't possess that much energy.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Elena immediately changed the subject and I shot her a thankful look.

"So Bons, have you asked your Grams anything about the witchy stuff yet?" _Witchy stuff? That must be what their weird conversation was about a few days ago._

"Yeah, you know, just the ramblings of an old woman. I still don't believe her. It's not as if the supernatural world exists right?"

"Try telling that to my father. He's obsessed with folklore and legend, he talks about it constantly. After a few years I just stopped listening to him."

"Uncle John is a little obsessed with that kind of stuff." I snorted.

"A little is an understatement. By the way, he still hasn't stopped calling me. I'm contemplating changing my number, especially after listening to one of his voice mails the other night." Elena and Bonnie stopped mid-step, obviously interesting in hearing about what he had said.

"It wasn't pretty. To cut a long story short, he basically said that I was going to regret choosing to leave Stanford when he found me, and let me tell you, he was _pissed._" Bonnie looked at me in concern.

"You don't think he'll... you know..." She trailed off.

"Hurt me? Not a chance. Johnathon Gilbert may be a lot of things, but there's no way he'd ever lay a hand on his only child. That much I'll give him credit for." The conversation came to an abrupt end after that, and the three of us just walked around the centre of Mystic Falls for a while, enjoying the sunshine. After half an hour or so Elena and Bonnie went off to go and get us some ice-cream, so I took a seat on a bench. I wasn't looking at anything in particular until a few kids, around the ages of five and six, ran past me, giggling with each other.

I felt that feeling come back, the feeling that makes me want to crawl back into bed and forget the world, but I knew I couldn't do that. So I averted my gaze, choosing instead to look at the ground.

Then, another feeling hit me. It wasn't like the one I felt a moment ago, it was completely different. Like I knew someone was watching me or something. A chill ran down my spine as I turned around, only to find no-one there.

The feeling disappeared instantly, and I was left unsettled and unnerved until Bonnie and Elena returned. I decided to let it go, convincing myself that I was being paranoid, as usual, and I talked to the girls for a while. We decided to just stay there until the party began since there wasn't really anything better to do.

* * *

><p>I'd parted with the girls a while ago. Bonnie had headed of somewhere and Elena was talking to Stefan. I held my candle close to my chest as I walked around, utterly captivated by the sheer beauty around me and the comet in the sky. I found myself in a secluded spot not too far away from the party, gazing up into the sky as the comet soared through the air.<p>

"Care to light me up?" My heart thumped around wildly at the sound of Damon's silky, seductive voice. I turned around slowly, seeing him stood a couple of meters away from me, holding an unlit candle in his hands. He was wearing dark blue, stone wash jeans and a black shirt hidden underneath his black leather jacket. The ensemble was simple, but I knew that nobody could pull it off and look as hot in at as Damon did.

It took a few seconds but my brain managed to process what Damon had said and I moved forward, lighting his candle with my own and sending him a small smile as I did so. Our hands brushed each others when I pulled away, sending the faintest of shivers up my spine.

"Thank you." He murmured as he returned my smile, his midnight blue eyes shining brightly in the moonlight. I racked my brain, trying to think of something interesting to say but Damon beat me to the punch.

"You know, that comet has been traveling through space for thousands of years." He pointed to the sky and my eyes followed the movement, looking at the comet that had not long passed by the moon.

"Did you study astronomy or something?" I cursed at myself internally. _Did you study astronomy? Seriously, Brooke?_ Damon just chuckled, running a hand through his hair, messing it up slightly._  
><em>

"Not exactly, I've just always been interested in space and time. I guess you could say this comet holds a purpose for me." The latter part of his sentence confused me, but nonetheless I found that my smile had grown even larger.

"I've always found it interesting too, though I've never really tried to learn anything about it, what with how hectic my life has been recently." He raised an eyebrow, motioning for me to continue.

"A couple of weeks ago I was at Stanford training to become a doctor, but I left it behind. It was never really what I wanted to do, it was always pushed on me, and now my father won't stop ringing me because he's trying to lure me back to Stanford. He's an A class jerk, you see." I paused, suddenly aware that I was revealing a little too much, but Damon nodded in understanding.

"My father was too. He tried pressuring me into the army even though I never agreed with it, and he always favoured Stefan over me."

"Is it still like that now?" He hesitated in his answer for a moment.

"Well, both of my parents are dead... don't look at me like that. I got over it a long time ago. I barely knew my mother, I was young when she died and my father... well, I danced on his grave." I laughed slightly at the end of his sentence. I know it sounds cruel, but I can't blame him. The truth is, I don't know whether I'd be that heart-broken if my father passed away.

"Still, it's not nice. My mother passed away too." We fell into a comfortable silence, watching the comet side by side. The brisk, cold night air hit my skin and I felt myself shiver slightly in response. I suddenly regretted my choice in clothing; it may be warm during the day, but it's freezing at night.

Damon placed his jacket onto my shoulders and I was immediately embraced by warmth. I looked up at Damon through my eyelashes, watching as he moved to stand next to me. I smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, Damon." He grinned slightly before winking at me as he turned to face the stars and the comet. I pulled his jacket around my form tightly, basking in the heat that radiated from it.

After standing there for God knows how long he cocked his head to the side before looking at me.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go and have a talk with my brother, he's probably up to no good." He teased. I laughed, took of his jacket and handed it to him.

"Thanks..." Damon trailed off before lifting my hand up to his lips much like he had yesterday, pressing a kiss lighter than a feather to the back of it. The sensations I felt the first time he'd done it starting shooting up and down my arm as my green eyes connected with Damon's blue ones.

"Pleasure seeing you again Brooklyn. I'll be seeing you." Then, before I knew it, he was walking back down the path I'd come from earlier and had disappeared out of my line of vision. His words rang through my head. _I'll be seeing you._ My mood brightened significantly, and as I began the long walk home, the only thought on my mind was of Damon Salvatore.

* * *

><p>I entered the house, hearing a banging and clanging noise coming from Jeremy's room. Even though I wasn't on the best of terms with him, especially after last night, I had to make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid.<p>

"Jeremy!"

"Nope, it's me. The hypocrite patrol." I walked up the stairs and went straight into Jeremy's room, watching as my aunt rummaged through Jeremy's closet.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I've become my worst nightmare. The authority figure who has to violate a fifteen year old's privacy." Jenna suddenly dashed across the other side of the room and I jumped onto Jeremy's bed, still tired from the lack of sleep from last night. Jenna let out a triumphant cheer of victory.

"Jackpot! I see the hiding places haven't gotten anymore creative." She pulled up one of Jeremy's shoes and pulled out a package containing a white substance before throwing his shoe back onto the floor.

"This is about Tanner, isn't it? Elena said that we got tannered, apparently it's a regular occurrence." She continued to search Jeremy's room for moor drugs, while I looked at the mess she had created. It looked like a bomb had landed in here - not that I was bothered. _After what he said to me last night he should be glad this is all he's getting._

"I'm screwing up." I threw my arms into the air in astonishment.

"You're not screwing up Jen."

"Yes I am. You know why? Because I'm not her. She made everything look so easy! High school, marriage, having Elena and Jeremy." I looked at her tear streaked face as she desperately tried to hold it together.

"I can't do it. I'm going to say or do the wrong thing and it's only going to get worse and it's all going to be my fault!" She sat on the edge of the bed and I didn't move to comfort her, knowing she had to get this out of her system.

"It's impossible." _Oh no, she is not repeating what Tanner said to us!_ I moved from my place on the other side of the bed over to her and wrapped my arms around her shaking form. _She's doing fantastic given the circumstances, I just wish she'd see it._

"This is just the fear talking. You're a little scared, that's all... We all are." We pulled apart and she looked at my face, searching for answers. I knew she was thinking about John at this moment.

"Why don't you get some sleep, you look drained."

"Are you going to be okay?" She nodded, shooting a small smile in my direction which I returned. I patted her on the shoulder comfortingly before leaving the room and heading into mine, so tired that I couldn't even be bothered to change out of my clothes. As I fell into my slumber, for the first time in a long time, my dreams weren't going to be filled with thoughts of death, sadness or my incompetent father. Tonight, it was Damon who consumed my thoughts, his blue, cobalt eyes burning into mine.

Tonight, I knew that I was going to fall to sleep with a smile on my face, because I have no doubt in my mind that things are going to look up for us now.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** How wrong is she? I won't normally post chapters this quick so it my be a couple of weeks till the next one, but I hope you enjoyed it!_

_**Review! :)**  
><em>


	3. Friday Night Bites: Part 1

_**A/N:** Hey guys, we're now onto Friday Night Bites, and in my opinion I thought it was great how Damon sneakily wormed his way into the house. Just a warning that my next update may be a while as I have revising to do for exams, but I'll be back in a couple of weeks._

_I forgot to answer **lucyinthesky's** review in my last chapter, but yes biologically that makes Elena and Brooke half sisters, but they won't find out for ages. Thank you to **David Fishwick, PrincessOfSilence, K8YHALMAN, xxxFlameHeartxxx, lucyinthesky **and** Katie** for your reviews, and thank you to everybody who favourited and alerted!_

_Don't forget that if you have any questions I'm always happy to answer them so just ask me in your review! P.S I **loved** all of your reviews, they really lit up my day! This chapter focuses mainly on Brooke and Stefan and the beginning of their friendship that will **always** be strictly platonic!_

_Disclaimer: I **do not** own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

"Hey Brooke, do you want to have breakfast at the grill with me?" Jenna asked as I tumbled out of my bedroom, almost tripping over in my Christian Louboutin black, knee high suede boots that I wore over my plain navy jeans. I smoothed down my white top, covered in pink and black roses with spaghetti straps and a neckline that was deep but at the same time not too revealing.

"Sure, Elena and Jeremy at school already?" She nodded, looking into my eyes worriedly.

"You're not going to tell Jeremy about... You know?" She pointed to his bedroom, referring to her little drug raid from the other night. I couldn't hold in the laugh trying to escape from my throat. _God, I love this woman._

"I already did. Jeremy's _really _pissed at you." Her face was a picture.

"I'm joking! I promise, why would I rat you out to Jeremy of all people?" I said as I went back to my bedroom, grabbed my charcoal leather jacket and walked back into the hallway.

"Has Jeremy apologised to you yet?" I shook my head and Jenna's eyes turned icy.

"I'll kill-"

"No, you won't. Honestly, I don't really care. As long as he avoids me I'll avoid him, but he's going to get it if he doesn't."

"We could always send him to your father." I grimaced slightly.

"I hate to say it, but I think that punishment's a bit too cruel. Besides, Jeremy would probably snitch on me, and then it would be hello California!" I said sarcastically. We vacated the house and jumped into Jenna's car, beginning the drive to the grill. After ten minutes or so, we arrived and after Jenna parked up we went into the grill and took a seat at a table.

We talked for a while and ate our food before I went up to the bar to get us some drinks. While I was waiting for the bartender so I could give him my order, I noticed a sign above the bar.

_Job applications here._

"Hey, can I have a job application?" I asked the bartender as he finally approached me, but he waved me off.

"No need, this is the last day and you're the only person whose asked for an one, so the job's yours." I looked at him quizzically. _He's going to give me the job, just like that?_

"Don't you want to interview me or something? I mean, you don't even know my name." I asked him incredulously.

"What's your name?" I hesitated for a moment.

"Brooklyn Gilbert."

"Well then, Brooklyn Gilbert, do you want the job or not?" His voice started to turn cold and disinterested which told me that I was irritating him, so I decided to respond quickly.

"Of course! Thank you so-"

"Yeah, whatever. You start on Monday at nine a.m, don't be late." He walked off to serve another customer while I stood there, dumb-founded. _So, he just gave me the job? No questions other than my name asked? _Well, I'm not complaining; I smiled slightly. _I have a job! Not a very well paid one, but for now it's better than nothing and at least I won't be sitting around the house bored all day long._ I turned around, forgetting about ordering any drinks and rushed back to Jenna's table.

"Guess what, that guy over at the bar just offered me a job!"

"Really? That's great! You need to watch yourself with him though." I sat back down, looking at her with a questioning gaze. _What does she mean by that?_ Jenna seemed to notice that I was puzzled.

"Well, he's a jerk, and that's putting it nicely. He talks to all of his employees like they're pieces of trash." I groaned internally. The last person I want to be around is someone like Tanner. _Don't let that put you off Brooke, this is something you can do for a while until you figure out what you're going to do with your life, whether or not you plan on going back to university to study something else. _I winced almost unnoticeably before replying.

"It's nothing I can't handle, I'll be fine." We talked for a little while longer before we started heading back. Jenna rode back in the car, but I told her I'd walk since it was such a lovely day, and I was hoping I'd catch Elena since school was just about to let out.

I found myself staring at the sky, wondering where I'd seen that shade of blue before. _In the eyes of Damon Salvatore._ I blushed as I realised where my train of thought was heading. _Sure, he's exceptionally hot, but you know practically nothing about him other than his name and the fact that he's related to Stefan, who you know nothing about either._

Arriving at the school I noticed that the car park was pretty much empty. I heard a series of cheers coming from the football ground and I peeked around the school building, watching as the football players practiced with their coach - Mr Tanner.

I let out an inaudiable groan. _Good luck, they're certainly going to need it._ I was about to turn away and vacate the parking lot when I noticed Stefan sitting on the stands. I paused for a moment, before deciding to go over to him._ Maybe he knows where Elena is._

"I hope I'm not interrupting, but I was wondering if you know where Elena is." Stefan's head turned towards mine and the first thing I noticed was that he seemed a lot more relaxed than he did the other day.

"Yeah, she's got cheerleading." Stefan informed me.

"Oh right, well thanks, I'll get going." I was about to leave the stands when Stefan's voice called out to me, stopping me in my tracks.

"Brooke, we haven't formally been introduced, you know with the handshake and everything. I'm Stefan. Sorry about yesterday, it was rude of me to act the way I did." He held out his hand and I shook it with my own, shooting him a smile as I did so.

"I'm Brooke, and it's fine. I take it you don't get along with your brother very well." He laughed slightly.

"Something like that. Please, sit." He gestured to the stands and I took a seat next to him, noticing how his eyes strayed towards the football grounds. I remember when I used to have the same passion for dancing, but I soon lost my inspiration after my mother passed away. She was an amazing dancer and I shared her talent. It brought us closer too, because it was something only the two of us could do. My father was never interested, he'd always thought that it was pointless.

"You want to play, don't you?" His eyes met mine for a few moments before he nodded.

"Yeah I do, but... it's not the same. It's been a while since I've played and there are so many reasons that I shouldn't do it. Damon taught me to play after he came back on leave from the army, and it's one of the fondest memories I have left of him." The mention of the army had my mind flashing back to the other night when Damon had mentioned how his father had always pressured him to join.

I'd just assumed that he didn't listen to him, but it turns out he actually _was_ in the army. This newfound information gave me respect for Damon. The soldiers who fought for our country in the past, the present and the future all deserve our respect, and our pride.

"Well if you want to play hard enough, then go for it. Though I have to warn you; Tanner, is a jackass." He chuckled.

"I know. I've only been here for a couple of weeks and he's already picking on me, especially after I schooled him in history class." I laughed as a small smirk appeared on his face. _I wish I'd been there to see Tanner lose in a game of whits with a teenager._

"You have no idea how much I wish I could have seen that. Tell me _all_ about it." He chuckled again before he elaborated. I listened intently, laughing through pretty much the entire story.

"Hey Brooke, you seem like a really great person, and I know you've been talking to Damon somewhat." I raised an eyebrow. _Let me guess, this is the part where he warns me off him, right?_

"Just be careful, he's been known to break a few hearts and I don't want you getting hurt too. I don't have many friends around here and I was hoping that you could join my _very_ small inner circle." I giggled.

"I'd love to. I don't have many friends here either, so we can be loners together. As my first act as your, _one and only friend,_" He snorted. "I'm going to make you go up to Tanner and ask to join the football team. No objections, and I'll even come with you for moral support." I sent him a teasing grin and he nodded, going along with my plan. We stepped off of the bleachers and walked up to Tanner. He turned towards us with a scowl on his face, so I shot him a large - but painfully fake - smile.

"I never thought I'd be seeing you again Miss Gilbert."

"Likewise." He ignored me and addressed Stefan.

"Mr Salvatore, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I nudged Stefan lightly, trying to keep my smile perfectly intact.

"I wanted to try out for the team." There were a few beats of silence.

"Varsity tryouts were last spring, Mr Salvatore."

"I wasn't here then sir." I snorted, which resulted in Tanner sending me a death glare.

"Then you're not here now as far as I'm concerned." My smile was replaced with a frown as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"That's not fair. You haven't even seen him play, he could be the best player in this school for all you know." I accused him.

"Have you seen him play?"

"Actually I have, and he happens to be excellent." I obviously haven't seen him play but Tanner didn't need to know that. Stefan smiled at me gratefully, but Tanner acted as if I wasn't even there. _That ass treats me like a child._

"Mr Tanner, I realise you and I didn't get off to the best start and I want to apologise for that. I've played football before, a receiver mostly and I'm pretty good, not as good as Brooke makes out to be, but..." He trailed off and I hid a smile, finding his modesty refreshing._  
><em>

"Well, I won't be asking you who won the Superbowl in seventy-one."

"Seventy-one was..." He stopped talking when he realised that Tanner was becoming annoyed.

"Sorry I... I understand that, sir."

"Fine, but only so I get to see you get knocked onto your ass. Borrow some gear." Stefan hesitated for a moment.

"Go! Before I change my mind! Lets run it again!" He barked out, startling Stefan and I. He quickly ran off to go and get some gear while I retreated to the safety of the stands. I don't normally get intimidated, but in that moment I felt the tiniest flicker of... I don't know what it was, maybe fear, but I don't really want to give Tanner that much credit. Some guy with the name Lockwood stitched onto the back of his jersey whistled at me, making my insides twist. I rolled my eyes. _Stupid, immature little boys really get on my nerves._

As Stefan ran onto the pitch clad in football gear, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

_This may sound a little weird, but are you the person on the stands watching the guys play football?  
><em>

_Elena xoxo  
><em>

I looked around, observing my surroundings. _Where is she?_ I turned to my right, noticing that there were a bunch of cheerleaders warming up or practicing some routines, while Elena was near the back, not really doing that much. I scrolled through my contacts list, searching for Elena's name and pressed the dial button once I found her. I waved at her as she seperated herself from the group so that she could answer my call without distractions.

"Hey Lena."

"_Hey Brooke, I had no idea you were even here. What's up? Not been getting into too much trouble, I hope._" I grinned, knowing how pleased Elena would be with my handy work.

"Don't worry, I've been on my best behaviour. Infact, I managed to convince Stefan to try out for the football team."

"_Really? Oh my God, that's fantastic! Thanks Brooke, I've been pushing him to do it for days but he wasn't having it. At least you're making an effort with Stefan._" I frowned slightly.

"I take it Bonnie isn't warming up to him then. Give it some time, she'll learn to like him. Personally, I think he's great. You've picked a winner there Elena, don't let anyone else get their claws into him." I heard her giggle slightly in response.

"_I know, isn't he amazing? Oh, I was hoping you could be at home for dinner tonight, I've convinced Bonnie to come around in an attempt to get her to connect with Stefan, so I could really use the support._"

"Yeah, no problem, I'll be there. Hey, why aren't you doing any cheerleading?" She sighed, sounding distressed.

"_Well, I've not really been here due to... you know, meaning I've fell behind and I can't keep up with the others, so Caroline's been putting me in the back._" I shook my head in annoyance; I hate it when people try to put others down just to boost their own self esteem. Has she even tried helping Elena with the new routines?

"Well, you're lucky that _I_ am a former cheerleader. I'll catch you up to speed and soon enough, you'll be better than barbie doll over there." She laughed, and I could feel a sense of relief come from her. I went to say something else, but paused when I heard the dial tone. _Did she just hang up on me? _The sound of someone laughing behind me made me turn around, already knowing that the source of the giggles were from my cousin. I hit her on the arm jokingly, before we sat down on the stands and looked towards the football pitch.

We grinned as we saw how well Stefan was doing. _Take that, Tanner._ Members of the team patted him on the back as they took a break, all except Matt and that kid Lockwood. During the game I'd noticed how they were trying to show him up. I wasn't surprised by Lockwood, but I was a little by Matt. Then I realised that he was probably jealous because Elena's dating Stefan, so I understood, even though I didn't agree with it.

When the game restarted, the boys were making it obvious that they didn't agree with Stefan joining the team. At one point, Lockwood knocked Stefan to the ground after he'd caught the ball, even though they were on the same team. Elena gasped, but then she smiled when Matt came over to help him back up. _I knew Matt wasn't a horrible kind of guy._

"Well, I best get back to cheerleading, wish me luck." I squeezed her hand before she ran off, her pony tail swaying around in the breeze. It's nice to see her happy with Stefan, especially with all of the issues she's had to deal with recently. He definitely gets my approval.

_Caw!_

My head snapped to the left, my eyes recognising the unmistakeable shape of a crow. It looked identical to the one in the grave-yard and at the boarding house, but that's not particularly shocking since they all look the same.

A chill ran down my spine as its beady eyes stared at me. I took that as my queue to leave, so I began the long walk home, trying to rid my mind of creepy crows from grave-yards.

* * *

><p>"Maybe we should play the lottery!" Elena said enthusiastically as I walked into the kitchen, finding her and Bonnie with some takeout. I sent them a weird look that just made them laugh before I moved to help them.<p>

"Have you spoke to your grams yet?"

"She's just going to say it's because I'm a witch. I don't want to be a witch, do you want to be a witch?" Elena shook her head as a no in response. Personally, I think it would be pretty badass. Imagine all of the things you could do, it would be incredible. Bonnie snorted.

"Elena, just because you put it in a fancy bowl doesn't mean that it will fool anybody."

"Okay, serving spoons, where are the serving spoons?" Elena asked rhetorically as she began searching for them.

"Middle draw on your left." Bonnie pointed to said draw without even looking. Everyone paused for a moment before Elena opened it, pulling out some serving spoons just like Bonnie had predicted. I looked at her in confusion, and slightly in wonder.

"Okay, so you've been in this kitchen thousands of times." Elena stated, but it didn't really seem to convince Bonnie. The doorbell rang and Elena straightened her posture.

"Okay, he's here. Don't be nervous, just be your normal, loving self." Bonnie looked at me anxiously, so I shot her a small smile in an attempt to cheer her up and calm her nerves.

"Just do this for Elena, Stefan really makes her happy and it's been a while since I've seen her like this. Besides, he's quite a cool guy if you give him a chance." She nodded before spacing out for a moment. Her eyes grew distant, like she didn't have a clue where she was or what she was doing. I waved my hand in front of her face, trying to capture her attention, but it was to no avail. _What is going-_

"Birthday candles." She whispered. My confusion only seemed to expand as I watched her slowly open the draw in front of her, pulling out a packet of birthday candles. She bit her lip before placing them back into the drawer and I shook my head._ It's just like Elena said, she's been in this kitchen thousands of times. That's all. Isn't it?_

"Brooke, it's nice to see you again." My head snapped towards the door that Stefan and Elena were traipsing through.

"Hey Stefan, it's nice to see you too, my loner friend." He chuckled while I winked in his direction. Elena smiled, obviously pleased that Stefan and I were getting along well, but I saw her face fall when Bonnie left the room, murmering something about setting the table. Stefan's facial expression grew a little disheartened.

"It's okay, she's like that. You're just going to have to work _really _hard to get her approval." Stefan groaned slightly as I left the room to help Bonnie while he and Elena started talking. I watched them silently with a small smile on my face._ Young love. They look so cute together, and it's nice to see Elena happy right now. I can't say the same for Jeremy, but..._

We soon began eating, but I couldn't help but feel a little helpless. We were sat in silence. Very awkward silence if I may add. None of us wanted to be the one to break it, and I had no idea how to make the situation more comfortable. Elena, Stefan and I had no idea what to say, while Bonnie just sat there ignoring us, acting as if we weren't even in the room.

Don't get me wrong, I like Bonnie and I think she's great, but it wouldn't hurt her if she tried to make an effort to at least acknowledge Stefan.

"Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" Elena finally broke the awkward silence and I sighed in relief.

"Well he let me on the team, so... I must of been doing something right. Though a lot of the credit goes to Brooke, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be playing, so thanks Brooke." We smiled at each other and Elena looked at me like I was her most favourite person in the entire world. I knew she was proud of me for making the effort, unlike a certain_ someone _sitting at this table...

"Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today, Tyler threw a ball right at him and-"

"Yeah, I heard." The awkward silence returned and I had to clench my jaw to stop myself from scowling._  
><em>

"Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Bonnie glared at Elena slightly before she grudgingly began talking.

"Divorced, no mom, live with my dad." Stefan nodded, looking sympathetic.

"No, about the witches. Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches, it's really cool."

"Cool isn't the word I'd use." I took a large gulp of my orange juice, trying to distract myself. I've always been naturally protective of my family; and since Elena seems to really like Stefan I don't want Bonnie to do anything to sabotage that. Sure, she's probably just being cautious because she wants to protect her friend, but that doesn't give her the excuse to be rude to Stefan, especially since he hasn't done anything that proves that Elena needs to be defended. The room was so silent that I could hear owls hooting outside and even the sound of wind whooshing around.

"Well, that's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed but I know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the eighteen hundreds." Stefan tried to expand on the topic, no doubt hoping that showing an interest in Bonnie's ancestry will convince her to treat him like a civil human being.

"Well, my family came by way of Salem."

"Really? Salem witches?" Bonnie laughed nervously and shrugged.

"Yeah."

"I'd say that's pretty cool." Bonnie looked up in surprise.

"Really? Why?"

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and non conformity." Bonnie smiled at Stefan's opinion. _Finally, we've had a break through._ Elena and I locked eyes as we smiled at each other._ Maybe Bonnie can get along with him now, and no-one will have to feel awkward._

"Yeah they are." Elena nodded in agreement and for a moment there was a beat of comfortable silence that was broken by the ringing of the doorbell._ Are we expecting anyone else? _Elena's expression mirrored mine.

"I wonder who that could be." I stood up and headed into the hallway towards the door, reaching for the handle and turning it. I looked up to see Damon - and Caroline. _Caroline?_

"... Hello." I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. The only word that could slip out of my mouth was hello, and that took me a few seconds to think of._  
><em>I forced myself to smile at the two people stood in the doorway.

"Brooke, right? Hi! My name's Caroline!" She stuck her hand out and I hesitantly placed mine into hers. My eyes - of their own accord - focused onto Damon's.

"Yeah, nice to meet you." Caroline didn't seem to notice that I wasn't really paying attention to her, or that my eyes were glued onto Damon, who was her... _Boyfriend?_ My smile faltered slightly at the thought. Something swept through me, something like... _jealousy? No, of course not, don't be ridiculous. You barely know Damon, so there is no way in hell that you're jealous._

"Surprise! Bonnie said that you were doing dinner, so we brought desert." Caroline's unusually high, peppy voice pierced my eardrums and I felt the need to cover them with my hands. I hadn't even realised that I was still looking at Damon so I tore my eyes away from him, realising that Elena was standing right next to me.

"Oh." Elena laughed slightly.

"Hope you don't mind." The sound of Damon's voice sent my heart into overdrive as I listened to the smoothness that his voice projected._ No, bad Brooke! _Caroline walked straight past Elena and I, inviting herself in whilst Damon stood there patiently on the porch.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan walked up behind us, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Waiting for one of these fine ladies to invite me in." He gestured towards Elena and I, and Elena immediately went to invite him in. Stefan, however, interrupted her.

"No, no he can't umm... He can't stay. Can you, Damon?" Everyone besides Stefan shared looks of confusion. _If he couldn't stay then why did he ask to be invited in?_ Damon appear to be wounded by his brother's words and I frowned at the sight of his face contorted into hurt.

"Get in here." Caroline said.

"We're just finishing up." Stefan informed Damon, but it didn't do much to change the expression on his face. I found myself wanting to change that.

"No it's fine, just come on in." I directed to Damon, not noticing the worried look in Stefan's eyes. Damon smiled at me politely and gracefully stepped into the house and when he passed our hands brushed, sending tingling sensations flying up and down my arm. I jolted my hand back in shock and noticed Damon do the same._ Did he feel it too? _He turned to look at me, his blue orbs meeting my green ones, and I suppressed a shiver.

"You have a lovely home, Brooke." A smile spread across my face unconsciously.

"Thank you." He looked away from my eyes and towards Stefan's, whose posture seemed ridged and stiff. _What is going on between these two? Is it just sibling rivalry, or is it something else?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** Hey guys, that was the first part of Friday Night Bites, I hope you enjoyed it! The next part may take a while since I have loads of exams coming up right now so I need to do some revising, and I would have made this into one chapter but there are too many scenes I want to put in. Anyway, if there are any questions I'm happy to answer them!_

**_Review!_**


	4. Friday Night Bites: Part 2

_**A/N:** Hello readers! Hope your all doing well, I know it's been a while but exams were hectic and I had lots of revision to do, so this chapter is extra long because of it! _

_Thank you to everyone who favourited and alerted, and thank you to** K8YHALMAN, MoonLight415, Castiel Salvatore, givemefire **and** Scribbled Truth** for reviewing. I just wanted to mention that criticism is always welcome and I have no problem with it whatsoever as long as you don't do it rudely, so if there's anything you want to say I have no problems with it._

_Disclaimer: I** do not** own The Vampire Diaries. Unfortunately..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

"I can't believe that Mr Tanner let you on the team! Tyler must be seething!" I tried to keep myself from flinching noticeably as the sound of Caroline's extremely high pitched voice penetrated my ear drums. _It sounds like there's a whistle being blown directly down my ear every time she opens her mouth._

It's not that I dislike her. Well, I do slightly because of the way she treated Elena earlier at cheerleading practice. _That wasn't cool._ But like I said before, I used to be a cheerleader in high school, so I can catch Elena up to speed. Caroline can rub people the wrong way; she can appear to be a cold-hearted person who only looks out for herself, and I think that a part of her is, but it's most likely based on her insecurites. I don't think that's who she really is. She probably just wants to fit in with everyone and not be judged, but even so, that doesn't give you the right to put other people down._  
><em>

"Good for you. Go for it!" I was torn away from my thoughts by Caroline's overbearing voice.

"That's what I always tell him, you have to engage, you can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you, you have to go and get it." Damon glanced at me and I felt myself drowning in his blue - _ever_ so blue - eyes.

"Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines-"

"I'll work with her, she'll get it." Bonnie interrupted, and I took this as my moment to jump into the conversation.

"Yeah, so will I. Luckily for Elena I used to cheerlead too, so I'm sure that me and Bonnie will be able to get her up to speed. Soon enough she'll be the best cheerleader on your squad." Her smile faltered slightly.

"I could always put her in the back." I heard Caroline mutter, making me scoff lightly.

"You don't seem like the cheerleading type, neither do you Brooke." Damon commented as he looked at the two of us. I never really was if I'm being honest, I didn't enjoy it that much, but my friend desperately needed somone on her squad and I didn't want to let her down. If my mother was still alive I probably would have enjoyed it, but high school is difficult enough, going through all of the feminine and emotional changes alone. Not to mention all of the drama and emotional stuff that unfortunately goes hand in hand with high school.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Caroline beat me to the punch.

"Oh, it's just because her parents died. I mean, she's just totally going through a blah faze, she used to be _way _more fun!" Caroline giggled, but no-one else joined in: Damon and Elena both choked on their drinks, Bonnie gasped, Stefan fidgeted in his seat and I glared at her with disdain._ How can she be so insensitive? If she wasn't Elena's friend and a minor then I'd-_

"And I say that with complete sensitivity." Caroline looked at all of our faces, silencing under our uncomfortable stares.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I know what it's like to lose both of your parents, in fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've cared about die."

"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon." Stefan spoke.

"You know what, you're right Stefan, I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up." Damon said remorsefully. Elena sat up straighter in her seat, interested in what Damon had accidently let slip. Katherine, Stefan's ex-girlfriend is... _dead? _Stefan cleared his throat, avoiding our looks while Damon's eyes became haunted for a fraction of a second. _Was Katherine important to Damon too?_ The thought lingered in my head as the conversation continued, with me not really contributing to the discussion.

I stood up and left the room, putting the dishes from our dinner into the dishwasher since it was my turn to do the domestic chores. I heard the sound of footsteps approaching me, so I stopped what I was doing and turned around, feeling the energy in the room change.

"One more!" Damon said, entering the room. I swiveled around on my spot, turning to face him as a beaming smile made its way onto my face. _Are you forgetting that he has a girlfriend again?  
><em>

"Oh, thank you." I reached out my hand to take the glass from him but it slipped through my fingers. I gasped, waiting to hear the sound of it smashing into smitherines, but it never came. Damon's incredibly fast reflexes caught the glass easily before it had chance to crash to the floor. I laughed slightly in surprise as he handed it to me, in awe over how quick he could move. Damon grinned, obviously realising I was impressed, and I couldn't help but think about how cute it made him look.

"Nice save." I complimented as he placed it into my hand before he pointed at me.

"I like you. You seem to know how to have a laugh, which in this town is _very _difficult to find. Your cousin's nice too; she knows how to make Stefan smile so she must be special. It's been a long time since I've seen him so happy." My smile grew larger at his compliment, and his one towards Elena. _He took the words right out of my mouth. _Damon helped me with putting the dishes into the dishwasher while my mind flashed back to Stefan's warnings. I just can't seem to wrap my head around it.

_Is there anything wrong with Damon? He's like, the living definition of perfection. I have no idea what Stefan's getting at._

I thought back to earlier when we were sat in the living room. _Damon_ _and Stefan's reactions to the mention of someone dying were eerily similar. Was Damon talking about Katherine? Is that why there's tension between the two brothers?  
><em>

"Hey, about earlier, did you mean... Katherine?"

"Hmm, yeah." He leaned against the counter as I passed him a plate, watching as he stuck it into the dishwasher while I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"How did she die?" After a beat of silence he responded.

"A fire... A tragic fire." He averted his eyes away from mine, suddenly interested in anything other than me.

"Recently?"

"It... Seems like it was yesterday." He replied as his eyes and mine connected. I felt my features soften slightly at the look on his face._  
><em>

"What was she like?" I asked timidly. I was hoping that I could find out about this mysterious woman, though I'm unsure as to why I wanted to know. Maybe it's because it sounds like she was important to Damon as well as Stefan, but it what way? _She didn't date him too, right?_

"She was beautiful. A lot like you in that department, though I'd say she looks more like Elena." Damon resumed his previous task as he took more plates from me and slid them into the dishwasher whilst he continued to tell me about her.

"She was very complicated and selfish, at times not very kind but at others very good." If there was any doubt in my mind about whether she'd dated Damon too, it was certainly gone now. _That's probably why Damon and Stefan don't get along._

"So... Which one of you dated her first?" Damon chuckled under his breath.

"Nicely deduced." He muttered in my direction. "Ask Stefan, I'm sure his answer differs from mine." Damon closed the dishwasher, leaning against it as my eyes locked onto his once again. He sent me a look that I couldn't decipher, but whatever it was, it made something rise within me, an unbearable flash of heat that I didn't know how to describe.

I tore my eyes away from his, folding a hand towel to distract myself as I turned away from him, trying to become immersed in my task.

"So, how about you? How many ex-boyfriends have you had? I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say somewhere around the high hundreds..." I laughed at his question as he sat on the barstool next to me. _High hundreds? I think he's talking about himself.  
><em>

"Not exactly. I've only had two serious boyfriends. The first one was an all round jackass, and the second one I caught in bed with my best friend, so it's safe to say that I never spoke to either of them again..." I trailed off, summing up my very small - and very boring - love life. I've always been so focused on something else or haven't felt a connection with someone, so I've never really been that interested in anyone. _I'm not sure I can say the same now, however..._

"There's something seriously wrong with them, they have no idea what they're missing. You're beautiful." I blushed as his eyes ran down my frame while he grinned at me teasingly. The smile that was on my face moments before slowly slipped away.

"I'm sorry, about Katherine." Damon's smile also fell and he blinked a few times as he lent backwards.

"She wasn't just important to Stefan. You lost her too." I don't know how or when it happened, but somehow my hand had slowly slid over towards Damon's and my thumb had reached out to brush over his. _What are you doing? _I came to my senses, realising that Damon might not have liked my bold move so I quickly went to pull my hand away. I was stopped, however, when his wrapped around mine, locking me in place. We looked at each other for a moment before my eyes drifted down to our hands entertwined together loosely.

The familiar spark that I seem to get whenever I'm around Damon started to grow stronger, and bigger, and-

"Hey, need some help?" We both jumped back as if we'd been burned as my eyes flew to the doorway to see Elena and Bonnie walking through it. I nodded as Damon replied.

"Yeah, why not. Miss Gilbert, may I be excused so that I can talk to my brother?" Damon said in a southern accent as he stood up, bowing slightly. Everyone in the room laughed.

"Why of course you may, Mr Salvatore." I mimicked his accent and curtsied, smiling as Damon winked at me and left the room. I ignored the knowing look that Elena sent me, whereas Bonnie sent me an entirely different look.

"Brooke, you do realise that Caroline is interested in him right?" My smile faded at the accusing glance she sent me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I knew exactly what it meant, but I wanted to hear her say it. _It's alright for her to go around pointing the finger at everyone else when she's been the most ignorant person out of everybody tonight, even more than Caroline._

"It means that I don't think you should be flirting with Damon or going after him when he's clearly involved with somebody else. It's not fair."

"You want to know what's unfair, Bonnie? The way you've been treating Stefan. Do you know how much thought Elena put into this night trying to make you see Stefan in a different light? He's not even done anything to you, but you still decided to use every oppurtunity you could to ruin the night. Elena is your friend, and you're meant to be supportive to her." Bonnie looked at the floor, avoiding my gaze.

"Stop acting like you know everything because you obviously don't, including who I talk to and my intent with them, I'd never intentionally try to break up a relationship. But more than anything, stop being a bitch to Stefan and be there for your friend, because neither Elena or her boyfriend have done anything to deserve this kind of treatment." I felt all of the pent up frustration that's been building up over the course of the night drain from my body, and we were all just stood in the kitchen in complete silence, stealing a glance at one another now and again.

"Hey, do you guys need any help?" Caroline waltzed into the kitchen, not having sensed the tension in the air. We all nodded, relieved for the distraction and set to work cleaning up anything that we thought was dirty.

I'm not particularly bothered about Bonnie or whether she dislikes me because she isn't my friend, so she's not important to me. I noticed Elena out of the corner of my eye and knew exactly what she wanted to say. _What a perfect ending to a perfect day, right?_ I bit my lip, hoping that Elena wasn't annoyed with me because of my outburst, but she sent me a reassuring smile which calmed me down.

We finished up and Bonnie left - thank God - while Elena and Stefan were saying goodbye in the living room. Caroline had gone to fetch her belongings so that she and Damon could leave.

_In the club, party rock_

_Look up on your girl she on my jock_

_Nonstop while we hit the spot_

_Booty move away like she on the block_ **(A/N: Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO if anyone wanted to know)**

I heard my phone ringing in the kitchen so I rushed in to grab it, only to groan when I realised who was calling me.

Daddy dearest.

_Just the person I want to talk to._

"I take it you're not a fan of whoever is calling." I whirled around to see Damon stood in the doorway with his leather jacket slung over his left shoulder.

"Not particularly." I closed my eyes for a second, but when I reopened them Damon was one foot away from me and my phone was in his hand.

"Who's the abomination?" Damon asked, referring to the name I'd given my father in my contacts list.

"My father." A smirk spread across Damon's face and I noticed it straight away. _What is he-_

"Brooklyn's phone, this is Damon speaking." I gasped, my eyes widening in horror as Damon answered the call. My hands reached for phone as I tried to retrieve it from him, but my attempts were useless; He was a lot taller than my five-foot four frame.

"Damon don't you dare-"

"I'm sorry, Brooke is unavailable right now so she can't take your call, would you like to leave a message?" He chuckled as I hit him, still refusing to give me my phone. He laughed loudly when I threw a sponge at him, dodging it easily.

"Who am I? I'm Brooke's boyfriend. Yeah, we've been dating for months. She didn't tell you? That's insulting." Despite myself, I giggled. _I have to admit, that's pretty funny._

"Where are we? Well, we were so bored of life at Stanford, I mean, who seriously wants to get a respectable job these days? So, I convinced Brooke to drop out and now we're going on this huge road-trip around the states. Don't worry, she's in _very _safe hands." I gasped, moving to hit him again but stopped when a thought a occured to me. Damon's actually helping me out - if John thinks I'm on a road-trip with Damon then he won't possibly know that I'm in Mystic Falls. That's... Genius.

"Dude? Did you just seriously call me _dude? _Listen, old guy," I snickered, knowing that Damon must really be getting on my father's nerves. "She isn't always a walk in the park, I mean she moans constantly and never shuts up about the stupidest little things..." I sent him a look. "But she makes up for it in _plenty_ of other ways..." I burst out into laughter. _I can't believe he just said that, John must be seething!_

"I'm going to take excellent care of her, you can trust me. I can provide for her and everything, I've always got business. You'd be surprised by how well the drug industry has been doing recently..." I could feel my eyes welling up with tears as I pictured my father's face.

"Don't lecture me, Stanford's bullshit. Yes it it. You know it is. Don't lie to me, of course it is. Right, well, it looks like it's time to hang up. It was nice speaking to you and don't worry, I'll send your love to your daughter. Best wishes, take care man." He hung up, smirking at me devishily. After calming myself down, I hit him on the shoulder again lightly.

"I can't believe you just said that to my dad!"

"You loved it." I let out a breathy laugh, knowing I couldn't argue with that.

"Well, I can't exactly deny that. As entertaining as that little performance was, I think it would be wise if I changed my phone number now. Anyway, what's up? Did you forget something?" I asked, looking around to see if I could find any of his belongings.

"No, just wanted to come and say goodbye." He pulled out a flower from behind his back, and I recognised as it as one of the ones from the vase in the living room. I laughed in response, raising an eyebrow knowingly as he handed it to me._  
><em>

"Goodnight Brooke."

"Goodnight Damon." I smiled at his retreating figure, my eyes following his movements until he'd completely left the room. I can't put my finger on it. All I know is that there's something special about Damon that makes him stand out from the crowd, and I couldn't help but wonder if one day I'll find out. Not while he has a girlfriend though, that is out of the question.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Damon's pov:<em>**

I fell onto my bed seconds after returning to the boarding house, the taste of blood still lingering on my tonuge. While that blonde friend of Elena's may be annoying, she does have her uses.

I closed my eyes, trying to picture all of the things I loved about Katherine: her chocolate curls cascading down her chest, soft as silk. Her mischievous brown eyes and pouty lips that beg to be kissed. It's so much easier to imagine her now that Elena's around, but I was still starting to forget little things about my love. The way she smells, tastes...

_That's because you've been too focused on her cousin, and that wasn't part of the plan. If you want to get to Stefan then you'll have to get to Elena, not her cousin._

I groaned as the picture of Katherine in my mind was replaced by another woman's. She had similar hair, but her eyes were completely different. They were an exotic green that knew how to draw people in. She had a small button nose, deep red lips and a smile that was so infectious that it makes everyone in the room want to smile along with her. _Brooke._

Oh God, now you sound like Stefan, all whipped and cheesy. _This has to end, right now._

With that thought in mind, I decided that whilst I might still toy with Brooke, Elena was now my new target. The idea felt wrong, like I was making a huge mistake by pursuing it. _You are seriously losing it. _I cleared my throat, trying to sort out my thoughts. _This is all going to be worth it. Soon enough, you and Katherine will be riding off into the sunset, and you'll live happily ever_ _after_.

I snorted at the notion, but that didn't stop me from grinning slightly. _Katherine knows how to make you feel like you belong, and this time she'll be all yours. Not Stefan's - yours.__  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and energised, ready to start the day with a smile on my face. I'd slept a little later than usual, but that didn't bother me as I had nothing important to do until later. It's game day, and Elena wants me to be there for moral support since it's Stefan's first game. I threw on a pair of black skinny jeans, a white tank top and a pair of red flats, before buttoning up a couple of the buttons on my on my jet black jacket.

I left my hair in loose waves, giving me an approachable, laid-back look, before putting on some foundation, a little eyeliner and lastly mascara. All set to go, I figured I'd go and talk to Jenna and then meet up with Elena at the high school.

"Hey Jenna... What's wrong?" I sauntered into the kitchen, being greeted with the sight of Jenna holding her head in her hands.

"Jeremy didn't come home last night. _Again._" I grimaced slightly. Actually, now that she mentions it, I haven't seen him for a couple of days.

"I know Jen, he's just acting out. Jeremy's not going to change just because we tell him to, he has to want to himself and right now, I think it's obvious that he doesn't want to." She nodded before standing up, only to begin pacing around the room.

"Hey! Stop beating youself up over this! God, I'm going to kill Tanner..." I murmered the latter part of my sentence before I continued.

"Right, where was I... Yeah, as I was saying, you aren't doing anything wrong! Like I said the other night when you were raiding Jeremy's room like a drug dog..." I saw her face lighten up a bit at my choice of words.

"Look, me and Elena are fine, you don't have to worry about either of us, we're not being immature like Jeremy. But, what I'm trying to say is that you can't keep beating yourself up over this, because honestly, you're the best parental figure I've had ever since my mother died." Jenna's head quickly snapped towards mine and I sent her a small smile.

"Brooke, you have no idea how much that means to me." I paused for a moment.

"I think I do. Kick your fat ass into gear and realise how fantastic you are. You opened up your home to me when you could have just said no, so I think that proves how much of an incredible person you really are. Now I'm going to watch Lena's boyfriend play football, are you going to be okay?" She nodded slowly before sending me a teasing grin.

"You're the one with the fat ass." I laughed.

"If that's what you need to believe to get you through the night. Bye Jen!" I exited the house, jumped into my car and began the drive to the high school. I arrived within about ten minutes, and as I stepped out of the car I groaned quietly. _I forgot that Tanner is the coach. _I shook off the feeling of dread and carried on walking. Never mind, you're here for Stefan and Elena anyway.

I walked onto the pitch and saw a bunch of teenagers just hanging around, mostly cheerleaders and football players, but I was surprised to see Elena not in her uniform. As I strolled up to her and Stefan I was about to ask about to ask her what was going on, but Elena had already anticipated this.

"Yes, I quit cheerleading and it feel amazing!" I was silent for a moment before letting a laugh escape. _That's my Elena. _My cousin excused herself from us when Caroline came over, confused as to why she wasn't in her uniform.

"So Stefan, you nervous?" He chuckled slightly.

"Just a little. I didn't know you were coming to watch."

"Well I couldn't miss my _only_ friend's first game could I? How terrible would I look then?" We both chuckled again before Stefan's face turned serious and his eyes shifted away from mine.

"I wanted to thank you for convincing me to play, it's something that I really love to do and I wouldn't be playing if it wasn't for you. So, I hope this doesn't seem weird or anything, but as a token of my appreciation I would like to give you this." He held out a silver locket covered in unique markings and design, and it had a red stone stuck to the middle of it. I was... I didn't know how to describe how I felt. All I knew was that it was a good feeling, and I couldn't hide the smile that I was trying to suppress.

"Thank you Stefan, it's beautiful. Gosh, you can definitely be my best friend if you keep buying me gifts." He chuckled.

"Well, I also gave Elena one identical to that one so..."

"Aww, Stef! That is so sweet! Wait, now I feel bad because I haven't got you anything!" He laughed and shook his head sideways as he unclasped the necklace and I pulled my hair to the side when he offered to tie it around my neck. Inhaling, I could smell an unusual scent, almost like roses, my favourite flower.

"Is that rose I smell?"

"No, it's just a herb. And don't worry, I don't want any presents. I probably wouldn't accept it anyway and besides, you convincing me to do this is better than any materialistic thing you could have bought for me." I turned back around to face him again, smiling at him.

"Okay. Just make sure you win tonight, unless you want to be shouted at by Tanner." He nodded, grinning slightly before Elena returned.

"So, what did I miss?"

* * *

><p>The crowd eprupted into cheers, the intensity almost shaking the ground. It was dark; the sky had changed from its formally blue, cloudless sky to a crisp, dark night. The large crowd (including me and Elena) were gathered around the football players and the cheerleaders who were stood there with large smiles on their faces, lots of them eager to be the centre of attention. I noticed that Lockwood guy staring at Stefan with envy,before turning to face me, shooting a wink in my direction.<p>

I rolled my eyes, something I find myself doing a lot when I'm around this guy. Isn't he the one that's dating the girl Jeremy likes? Well, I don't like either of them right now, so I don't really care.

"Wait! Wait, wait wait!" I groaned and Elena laughed at the look of annoyance on my face._ Tanner wants to do a speech. I'm sure that's going to be interesting.  
><em>

"Lets be honest here, in the past we used to let other teams come into our town and roll right over us!" The cheerleaders began booing, causing the majority of the crowd to join in.

"But that is about to change!" The cheerleaders and the crowd's moods quickly changed and they began cheering in delight. _Why would anyone cheer for what Tanner is saying?  
><em>

"We have got some great new talent tonight starting on our side, and I'm going to tell you right now it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!" He pointed at Stefan and this time I joined in with the crowd's cheers. A few people patted Stefan on the back, but I wasn't surprised when that Lockwood kid - Tyler, I think his name is - started glaring at Stefan and exchanging words with Matt. Tanner continued to talk about something completely irrelavent so I stopped paying attention after a while and chose to talk to Elena instead.

"Brooke, you do think that me quiting cheerleading's a good idea right? I mean, I just don't feel it anymore, it was something me and my mom used to do and now that she's gone it doesn't feel right." I rubbed her arm soothingly. I felt exactly the same. Dancing was mine and my mother's thing, and cheerleading was only because my friend needed someone on her squad, I didn't enjoy it anymore after my mother passed away.

"I know how you feel Lena, it was exactly the same for me. I quit dancing and I only did cheerleading for my friend, but I didn't enjoy it. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. It's as simple as that." Suddenly, Elena looked startled.

"Where's Stefan going?" I looked to see Stefan walking away and I noticed a lot of the crowd doing the same. As my eyes followed the direction everyone was heading in I could see two guys on the grass having a fight. One of the guys was Tyler and the other was... _Jeremy._

Elena and I rushed through the crowd to see Stefan shouting at Tyler and pushing him away from Jeremy. _What the hell were they doing? Especially Jeremy, is he mad?_ Elena gasped and a look of fear spread across her face.

"Jeremy, no!" But it was too late. Stefan pushed Tyler out of the way and as he did so Jeremy lifted some broken glass and accidently cut Stefan's hand with it.

_Oh my God._

Everyone gasped, before the crowd fell silent. _How could Jeremy do this? _Tanner appeared and took Tyler away while Elena and I rushed towards Jeremy.

"What the hell Jeremy!" I lashed out.

"Leave me alone, I'm fine."

"Yeah, you smell fine." I spat at him as he returned mine and Elena's glares.

"Just leave me alone, both of you!" Jeremy left the scene with his head held down, ignoring me as I called out his name. Elena quickly came to her senses and realised that Stefan was stood metres away with a bleeding hand._ Jeremy, what have you done? Does he need an ambulance?_ I felt like smacking myself across the head. _Of course he needs an ambulance, you dumbass! Did you learn anything during those three years at Stanford?  
><em>

"Oh my God, you're bleeding." Elena rushed to Stefan with me hot on her heels. She reached to grab his hand, but he flinched and pulled away.

"No, it's fine."

"Is it deep? How bad is it?" Elena ignored him and opened his clenched fist, though neither of us saw what we were expecting. It was... Fine. There wasn't a scratch on him, just a little bit of dried blood._  
><em>

"But, I saw it, it was-"

"He missed. It's not my blood. See, I'm fine." He wiped his hand on his jersey and held it out to me and Elena as I inspected it with my eyes. He was right; Jeremy missed. That's the only explanation, because there is no way that Stefan's wound would have closed up almost instantly. It's not scientifically possible.

"No, no I saw it, the glass cut your hand." Elena spoke with certainty laced into her voice. I thought I'd seen it too, but I started to doubt myself. It isn't possible.

"It's okay, I'm okay. It's almost kick off time alright, so umm, I'll see you after the game..." Elena nodded and he walked by the two of us in a rush, his posture extremely ridged.

"I don't understand." I looked at Elena out of the corner of my eye.

"Well, you heard him, Jeremy missed and we should be grateful. I didn't really want to have to watch Jeremy get taken away in a police car while I stitched up Stefan's hand." She opened her mouth for a second, but then closed it again.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It just doesn't make sense. I saw Jeremy cut Stefan's hand, I swear I did."

"I thought I did too, but I must have been wrong. It's over now, and everyone's okay so... Lets go and watch your boyfriend play some football, huh?" I put on a reassuring smile, but Elena wasn't convinced.

"I'm going to go and talk to Bonnie..." Elena walked away from me whilst I snorted softly. _Yeah, because the person who's convinced she's a witch is the exact person anyone should talk to when thats just happened._

_Caw!_

I span around, my eyes automatically searching for the source of the sound, knowing that it had came from a sinister bird that just couldn't leave me alone. I shuddered. _Just go and watch the game, you're being paranoid. It's just a bird, how much harm can a bird do to you?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Stefan's pov:<em>**

"You going to be able to play?" Matt asked me as we walked back towards the changing rooms, waiting for coach Tanner to arrive.

"Oh yeah, I'm good." I assured him as I held up my hand which had healed as good as new. He nodded, while I let my mind wander for a few moments. _Elena and Brooke know something's wrong, they saw it happen. You need to stop being so careless, Stefan._

"Hey, what you did back there, you had Jeremy's back," Matt said as he paused in his movements, making me do the same.

"Yeah well, he's a messed up kid, somebody's got to look out for him."

"I know. Speaking of practice, I was a dick." I shrugged as a smile appeared on my face.

"You had your reasons." I responded as I tried to dismiss what him and his friend Tyler had done yesterday. I know it wasn't Matt's fault, he was just looking out for his friend and I can understand that.

"There's no excuse. Good luck tonight, we're lucky to have you." Matt said as he held out his hand as a peace offering and I shook it with my own. It would be nice if we could be friends. The only people I have here are Elena, obviously, and Brooke, who reminds me of my friends Lexi. I'm trying to stop her from becoming a pawn in one of Damon's games, but something tells me I'm a little too late for that.

Matt walked into the changing rooms and I was left outside to stew in my own thoughts. Clap, clap, clap. It didn't take me long to realise who was making the sound. _Damon._

"Isn't that nice? Stefan joins the team and makes a friend. It's all so rah rah go team yeah!" Damon spoke in a peppy voice from his place against a wall while I shook my head slowly in disappointment.

"Not tonight Damon, I'm done with you." _Just go into the changing rooms and forget about him_. However, as I turned around I heard him speed in front of me. and I blinked when he appeared in my line of vision.

"Nice trick with Elena. Let me guess, Vervain in the necklace. I noticed that Brooke has one similar. I'll admit, I was a bit surprised, it's been a while since anyone can resist my... Compulsion. Where'd you get it?" He smirked as he raised his eyebrow, and I mimicked his action. _Does he seriously think I'm going to tell him?_

"Does it matter?" I asked as I moved around him and started walking towards the building.

"Cause I could just seduce either one of them the old fashioned way. Or I could just... Eat them." I paused in my movements. I don't want Damon to hurt either of them. Elena makes me feel alive again and I really like her, could probably love her one day. And Brooke, she's my friend. She's funny, protective of her family and knows how to have fun. She's like a sister to me.

I looked at Damon, knowing that he wouldn't hurt either of them, not intentionally. Because there's a part of him that's normal, that's human.

"No. You're not going to hurt them, Damon." I said as I turned around.

"No?"

"No. Because deep down inside, there is a part of you that still feels, that still cares. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you, that you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be."

"Who's pretending?" I scoffed.

"Kill me." He cocked his head to the side and smirked.

"Well, I'm tempted."

"No, you're not! You've had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I'm still alive and there you are, you're still haunting me after one hundred and forty-five years. Katherine is dead, and you hate me because you loved her! And you torture me, because you still do. And that my brother, that is your humanity."

"Salvatore! What the hell, we've got a game to play!" I turned around to see coach Tanner heading my way, obviously frustrated.

"If that's my humanity, then what's this?" _No. Damon don't-_

"Agh!"

"No!" Damon's teeth sank into Tanner's neck, draining him dry of all his blood. His eyes became lifeless, non-existant, before he fell to the floor. Damon turned to face me, smirking with blood all around his mouth, his fangs and red eyes still present.

"Anyone. Any time. Any place."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

The game went really well and Stefan's team won, not that anyone was surprised, he's a fantastic player. Elena said she was going to catch a lift with Bonnie so I walked to my car alone, thinking about a conversation Elena and I had during the game...

"_Timberwolves! Timberwolves! Timberwolves!_"

"_Hey Lena, what's up? The game is going really well, Stefan's scored loads of tries._"_ She smiled at me slightly, but I frowned as I noticed that it didn't reach her eyes._

"_What's wrong, Elena?_"_ She shook her head from side to side, her hair bouncing around due to the movement._

"_C'mon. tell me._"_ Elena stared at me for a moment before she looked away._

"_It's Damon. He just tried to kiss me._"

I don't get it. He's with Caroline and he barely talks to Elena, so why would he try to kiss her? Is it because of this rivalry he has with Stefan? Is it because of Katherine? I remember him saying that they both dated her. Was he trying to make Elena into Katherine? He's just... I can't believe him! I tried to hide my own disappointment and the slight stab to my heart as Elena told me this. _It's like you always say Brooke, someone who seems perfect never is. He was never yours to begin with anyway, so you can't feel jealous. _

I sighed as I passed by the changing rooms. _It's a good job you found out what he's really like now before you actually started to fall for him._ But, have I already started? _Don't be ridiculous, you've known him for how lon-_

"Hmph. Oh, I'm sorry Matt!" I accidently ran head first into Matt, almost knocking the two of us over, but fortunately I'm not that strong so we were both on our feet.

"It's okay Brooke, don't worry about it. Are you..." He trailed off and looked at something over my shoulder and began to move towards it as I slowly followed him.

"Matt what's... Oh my God." I breathed out. There was a body covered in blood, lying motionless on the ground, and if I'm not mistaken, it looked an awful lot like Tanner.

"Somebody help!" Matt yelled frantically as he burst into the changing rooms looking for help. I rushed to where Tanner was on the floor, putting my fingers onto his neck as I searched for a pulse. _It's too late, he's gone. _I fell backwards but Matt caught me, helping me up from the floor as some paramedics rushed onto the scene. This is another reason why I didn't want to be a doctor. I don't know if I could handle not being able to save people, having to tell their parents, children, siblings or partners that they didn't make it.

I would buckle under the pressure. There is no room for mistakes, because one slip up could cause someone's death, and I don't know if I'd be able to live with that.

Looking at Tanner now, I felt remourseful. I'd basically insulted the guy every chance I had, and now here he is, dead. _Dead._

I know he didn't care much when Elena and Jeremy's parents died, but I'm not like him. And the horrific way he was killed was chilling. For some people it's just a normal day, but for Tanner's family it isn't.

"Brooke? Is that you?" I turned around and saw Stefan standing there with a questioning glance that soon morphed into realisation. I walked towards him slowly.

"Yeah, it's me. I was talking to Matt and then we found Tanner... They're saying it's an animal attack, but how could an animal get this far into town-" He cut me off by pulling me into a hug as he comfortingly stroked my back. He didn't whisper words of assurance, but he didn't need to, because him being there was more than enough. He pulled away after a few moments.

"It's okay. I know this will sound weird, but at least it was only Tanner that got hurt. We could have had a huge massacre on our hands." I thought he was exaggerating slightly. I mean, how much harm can one animal cause? Stefan's face seemed certain however, so I just let it drop, choosing instead to question him about what me and Elena thought we saw earlier.

"Elena and I... We could've sworn that we saw your hand get cut. God, this has been a really surreal night." He nodded.

"Do you need a lift home?"

"No I'm alright, I've got my car so... Thanks Stefan, I really appreciate this."

"Well, that's what best friends are for, right?" I laughed.

"Best friends already, huh? And I've known you for like what, week or so?" He chuckled at my statement as he realised I was right.

"Yeah, you're stuck with me now. I'll see you soon Brooke, get home safe." I nodded.

"You too, bye Stefan."

After the short drive home, I told Elena and Jenna exactly what had happened. They both felt the same was as I did, so we spent the majority of the night talking about it, admitting that we should've given Tanner an easier time. When it got so late we all retreated to our rooms as I tried desperately to get some sleep, but it was to no avail. I just laid there, unmoving, staring at the ceiling as I thought about how this brilliant day had turned into such a nightmare.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Stefan's pov:<em>**

Slamming my door shut I pulled at the ends of my short hair, thinking about what a mess this day had turned into. It was stupid of me to believe that Damon could change, that there was something redeeming inside of him that could right all of his wrongs.

_Looks like it was me who was wrong_. He's only out for himself. _He's not your brother anymore, you need to accept that._

Not only are things wrong with Damon, but I've come close today. Elena almost found out about me and so did Brooke. They're not stupid, I need to be more careful otherwise both of them will find out, and it will give Damon a reason to kill them. Not to mention that they'd never look at me in the same way ever again.

Sitting down at my desk I pulled out my journal, flipping to a fresh page as I wrote down everything that I couldn't say.

_I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human. Normal. But I was wrong. There's nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster who must be stopped, before he hurts someone. Like Elena and Brooke._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

_Kisses were being feathered lightly across my neck, while a hot tongue darted out to sooth the small bites he'd previously layered across my neck.__ I moaned breathily as his lips moved along my jaw line slowly, ever so slowly. _

_He's such a tease._

_ But I was powerless. He knew where I loved to be touched and he always made sure that I knew he was in control. I moaned even louder as his lips hovered over mine, almost touching, but not quite. I wanted to reach up and fuse our mouths together but he pulled away, his bright blue orbs staring into my green ones as he smirked slightly, making my heart beat faster than ever._

"_Tell me what you want Brooke. Tell me and I'll give it to you._"

_"You. I want you, Damon." He grinned, his tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip and I couldn't take it any longer. Staring at his lips I moved closer, centimeters away..._

"_Caw!_"

Panting as my eyes flew open I looked around my room, clutching my chest. My body felt unsatisfied, not liking how I'd woken up before the dream had a chance to end.

Resting my head on the pillow again I remembered what I'd been dreaming about. _More like who..._

_Stop it, Brooke_. _You know Damon's wrong for you. Forget about him._ My warning seemed to go unheard, beause when I drifted off to sleep he was still there in my thoughts, waiting for me to return to my slumber. _If you can't have him in reality, at least you can in fantasy._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** So I hope that chapter was good guys! Thanks again to all the people who reviewed etc._

**_Review!_**


	5. Family Ties

_**A/N:** Hey readers! I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who put this story in their favourites or alerted, and thank you to **givemefire, MoonLight415, Sonny13 **(Who happens to be one of my favourite author's by the way!),** britt4565 **and** Marina164509** for reviewing!_

_Okay, so without further ado, here's chapter 5!_

_Disclaimer: I **do not **own The Vampire Diaries.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

"I repeat, the animal terrorizing Mystic Falls has been caught."

"Scumball. Scumbucket." Entering the kitchen I raised an eyebrow at Jenna as Elena and I listened to her insulting someone. The question is, who is she insulting?

"Jen, who are you talking to?" Elena and I asked in usion, causing the two of our faces to break out into small smiles as we winked at each other. That's one of our things, sometimes we'll say the same thing at the same time, proving that great minds really do work alike.

"Him." She informed us, as if it was obvious. She cocked her head towards the television and I could see the sheriff speaking to a news reporter, the name Logan Fell printed to the screen. _Logan Fell... Why does that name sound familiar?_

"The news guy?"

"Also known as Logan Scumfell. Did Miranda ever tell either of you why I moved away from Mystic Falls?" _Oh, now I remember: He's Jenna's ex-boyfriend. _Aunt Miranda told me about him after I heard her having a conversation with Jenna. I was only eleven at the time and Jenna was sixteen. I giggled at the look on her face. _She was totally bummed out after he cheated on her. _Elena also giggled when she realised.

"Oh, no way! You and him?" Elena asked incredulously.

"He's cute." Elena stated as I nodded in agreement. He is quite cute, but I don't like the colour of his eyes. The blue orbs seem dull compared to Damon's vibrant ones. _What did you say you were going to do Brooke? Not think about Damon. So why are you thinking about him? Get yourself together._

"He is _not_ cute. There's nothing cute about him." Jenna spat out venomously but I just laughed at her. I remember the first time Jenna got me drunk when I was sixteen, we snuck out into a club and some girl started having a go at me because apparently I'd pushed her over and made her spill her drink all over herself, when in actual fact she was too clumsy and she fell onto her ass when she tripped over her own feet. Jenna was fuming; it was the first time she'd ever defended me and she went crazy, so the way she is acting now is a lot more toned down from how I've seen her in the past. She turned the television off and Elena opened a box, retreiving a pocket watch.

"What are you doing with that?" Jenna and I sat down at the dining table next to Elena whilst Jenna handed me a mug of steaming, mouth-watering coffee. I smiled at her. Caffine is definitely something that I can't live without in the mornings.

"I went yesterday and got it from the safety deposit box. Mom had told Mrs Lockwood that she would loan it to the founder's council for their heritage display." Elena wiped the dusty pocket watch down with a cloth while I leaned back in my chair and Jenna snooped around the box.

"Is that grandma Beth's wedding ring?"

"Originally it was great, great, great grandma Mary's ring." Jeremy entered the kitchen as I sipped my coffee some more. I really need some energy today; it's my first day at work and I have to be there in an hour. I was originally meant to start work on a Monday, but the boss who I believe is called Keith said that if I didn't come into work today (Saturday), then I wouldn't have a job. _I'm starting to see why everybody hates this guy._

"How much do you think this stuff is worth, like on eBay?" Jeremy picked up something out of the box and I scoffed. _Is it so you can afford to buy some more drugs?_

"You're not going to find out." Elena stated.

"This stuff is mom and dad's, you can't just give it away!" Jeremy burst out, confusing me slightly. _Looks like mood swings are a side affect from popping pills, who knew? Well you do Brooke; do you remember anything you learnt at Stanford?_

"We're not giving it away, it's called a loan Jeremy." Elena spoke, clearly aggravated. _I don't blame her. _Suddenly, the door bell rang. Elena got up to answer it whilst I downed the rest of my coffee, hissing slightly as it burned the back of my throat. _Right, best get ready._ Strolling into the hallway I halted as I saw Stefan and Elena providing quite the performance with their major show of affection and I whistled, giggling at the embarrassment on their faces.

"Just use protection kids, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That doesn't leave much room then does it?" I smacked Elena on the arm as I passed her, grinning like a Cheshire cat as I bounced up the stairs, stopping at the top step to turn around and face the two.

"Nope!" They chuckled and I waltzed into my room to choose an outfit to wear. Looking through my closet I realised I was running short of clothes and I came to the conclusion that me and Jenna needed to go shopping soon.

"Hey Jenna!" I yelled as I walked into her room.

"Yeah, what's up?" I looked through her wardrobe, pulling out a pair of slim leg dark blue jeans and a green and white chequered cami top.

"I'm borrowing this. I don't have many clothes, so can you and me go on a shopping trip when I finish work? I'm only working till one, it's kind of pointless going in but I have to if I want this job." Jenna nodded.

"Yeah, that's fine, I need some retail therapy after seeing the scum of the year on the television." She pouted slightly and fell onto her bed.

"I'll give you a lift once you're ready."

"Thanks Jennifer." She threw a pillow at me.

"No problem, _Brooklyn._" I laughed and ran into my room. Jenna hates it when I call her Jennifer as do I when she calls me Brooklyn, but when Damon says it I don't get annoyed... _You're doing it again._ Oh, shut up! Sighing, I threw on the clothes I'd stolen from Jenna's room, pleased that we were the same size. I straightened my hair and applied some foundation, eyeliner and mascara and I was set to go.

"Come on Jenna!" She grumbled as she walked down the stairs.

"I was sleeping and having a really pleasant dream I'll have you know!" I smirked.

"Was it about Logan?" Her face turned redder than a ripe tomato and she grumbled again, starting the car and beginning the short drive to the grill. I then remembered my own dream from the other night and felt like asking Jenna to give me a huge slap around the face._ Damon is a jerk, he tried to kiss your little cousin! Pull yourself together, Brooke._

"Okay, we're here, I'll pick you up at one o'clock; Good luck Brooke." Jenna smiled at me and I returned it.

"Thanks aunt Jenna, I think I'm going to need it." Her features took on a more sympathetic look as I exited the car and walked into the grill, going straight up to the bar.

"Well, you've arrived on time, at least you can do something right." I was almost speechless._ I've not even started working yet and he's already giving me a hard time.  
><em>

"What, cat got your tongue? Anyway, I'm too busy to talk to you, you're going to have to ask Vicki to help you." He walked through to the back, disappearing out of sight, and I'm not sure whether I was insulted or just relieved that he had left._ You really want this job; you really want this job..._ I repeated that in my head a few times as a mantra and then set about looking for Vicki. My search party was over within seconds though, since I saw her walking through the door.

"Vicki, you're late again! Do you want this job?" I jumped when Keith returned and came up behind me, shouting at Vicki. _Does he have to shout so loud?_ Vicki just rolled her eyes as Keith disappeared again, but she wore a smile as she introduced herself to me.

"Hey, obviously my name is Vicki, nice to meet you. Brooke, is it?" I nodded and shook her hand.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too Vicki. Is he always like this?" I pointed in the direction he'd walked off in and she shrugged.

"Yeah, you'll get used to it though. After the first few weeks you just tend to ignore him, he'll probably threaten to fire you at some point, but he never does so I wouldn't take him seriously. Come on, I'll show you the ropes." I spent a few hours with Vicki as she showed me what I'd have to do, though it was all fairly simple. After a while, the conversation of her animal attack eventually came up.

"How are you doing after the whole animal attack? I heard you were in pretty bad shape." Vicki sighed and rubbed her neck.

"Yeah, I was in hospital for a while, going out of my mind. I can't even remember what happened, all I remember is that I was in the woods and this animal attacked me." I flinched slightly.

"Ouch. Do you remember what kind? Is it that mountain lion they caught?"

"Yeah, it must be." She laughed for a moment and I smiled awkwardly. _How is that funny?  
><em>

"Sorry, it's just that when I woke up, I told people that it was a vampire that attacked me. Matt got a right good laugh out of it. God, I don't know what I was thinking..." She trailed off and my smile turned warmer.

"My father would just love you; he's convinced that there are supernatural creatures out there." We both chuckled and Vicki gasped.

"Wait, seriously?" I nodded and laughed at the look on her face. _Yep, that's normally the reaction I get._

"Yeah, he's a nut job. I don't speak with him though, so it's all good." We talked for a few more minutes and then she went to go and serve some tables while I worked behind the bar. A few minutes later Vicki retuned with a furious look on her face and Tyler Lockwood following her every move. I groaned inwardly. _Please don't talk to me._

"Who are you taking to the founder's party?"

"Vicki Donovan, do you want me to ask you to the founder's party?" I bit my lip to keep myself from saying anything._ Why is she with such a jerk and trailing Jeremy along like a love sick puppy? God, some people these days have no idea what's right in front of them..._

"No, it'll be stupid and lame." Vicki said in happier voice.

"True, but it'll be less stupid and lame if you're there." _How have the pick up lines got even worse?_ Vicki agreed and went to go and serve some more tables, but Tyler was still stood a few meters away from me. _Please don't talk to me, please don't-_

"Hello there. You've probably heard of me, I'm the mayor's son, Tyler Lockwood." _Dammit. _I lifted my head and saw him sending me a smirk that probably had lots of girls swooning, but it didn't have the desired affect on me. Not wanting to be rude, I decided to just say hello back.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you Tyler." I walked away and served someone a drink, and when I finished serving he came over to me again._ Why won't he leave me alone?_

"You didn't even tell me your name."

"My _name_ is on my name tag." I said in a bored tone and I saw his eyes flash towards it.

"Brooke. That's a nice name. It suits you." I smirked, slightly amused. _Why is this guy actually talking to me? Have I given him any inclanation to say that I want to talk to him? _Despite this being the first time we've spoken to each other, it's definitely not the first time I've seen him. If I'm walking down the street, sometimes he'll beep his horn or he'll wink at me, and it's really frustrating. _Why won't he just leave me alone?_

"So, I've seen you around a lot recently, you new in town? If you'd like, I'm always free to show you around." I groaned and was about reply with some wiseass comment when Jeremy appeared. _This is not going to end well.  
><em>

"What, Vicki isn't enough for you so now you have to hit on my cousin too? You're ridiculous man."_ Please, not here, not on my first day at work!_

"You're related to him? Woah, I feel for you, he has to be the worst person on the entire planet to live with." Jeremy went to shove him but I came round to their side of the bar as quickly as I could, separating the two of them.

"What the hell, why are you taking his side Brooke?" Jeremy asked in an aggravated tone as he tried to move past me, but I shoved him backwards.

"I'm not taking any sides! Just back off Jeremy and go home, you remember what almost happened the last time you and Tyler got into a fight, don't you?" I spoke as I referred to Stefan having to intervene during their last altercation. He glared at me and walked away while Tyler flipped him off from behind his back. Turning around to face him, I shoved him as hard as I could.

"Okay, I'm only going to say this once so listen _very_ carefully. Stop winking at me when you see me in the street, stop picking fights with Jeremy, and stop being a dick, just in general! And if you ever come near me again, I swear to God that I will punch your lights out. Are we clear?" He nodded.

"Good. Now fuck off." I pushed him out of my way just as Jenna walked through the door.

"Finally, it's time to leave!" Quickly picking up my bag I ushered Jenna back into the car.

"Bad day? Was it your boss?"

"At first it was, but now, not so much. I can't even be bothered to explain; let's go shopping. I'm in need of some serious retail therapy." Jenna hit the pedal and off we were. _I hope Tyler actually goes away this time. I think he will though; he did look slightly scared when I said I'd punch his lights out. _The thought had me snorting lightly.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Damon's pov:<em>**

I just don't understand. _Why on Earth does Stefan want to go to school?_ Aside from listening to one of Stefan's lectures about why human life was so important, it has to be one of the most boring things in the entire world. At least in the eighteen hundreds they taught us something worthwhile, now I don't even understand how most of these teachers even get a job.

Besides, there's no point in going to high school. We can't get jobs because we can't settle down in one spot for too long. Stefan thinks otherwise though - he wants the whole human experience. _How pathetic is that?_

I heard Zach approaching the living room and I groaned in annoyance. _I actually prefer Stefan to him._

"I didn't know you were here." _Of course I'm here, I live here. _I rolled my eyes.

"Just going through Stefan's homework. Boy, this country has certainly dumbed down in the last hundred years. Why he wants to go to high school is beyond me. I mean in the seventies he went Ivy League, Harvard I understood." I paused for a moment before continuing. "Actually no, I didn't get that either." Zach stood there and averted his eyes away from me. _Aww, Zach wants to say something but he's too afraid, let me guess 'why are you here Damon?' He is so annoying; I don't go asking him why he enters his own house do I?_

"Go ahead. Purge, get it out, what's on your mind?" _Zach and Stefan are so predictable. _After a few moments of hesitation he finally figured out how to operate his vocal cords and blurted out a question.

"Why are you here, Damon?"_  
><em>

"To spend time with you Zach. Family's important." I closed Stefan's book and smiled patronisingly at Zach.

"I know you. You always have a motive." I leaned back on the scarlett couch. _Yes, and it's been the same motive for the last one hundred and forty-five years, so if you really knew me or if Stefan did for that matter, I think you two would have figured it out._

"So tell me, what is it this time?" _The same one it's always been. God, some people really didn't get a good education. I blame the teachers, none of them are qualified._ I rolled my eyes. _Zach needs to learn his place on the food chain._ Whipping out of my seat I had him grabbed by the throat within a second and he choked when I squeezed my hand a little tighter.

"You are in _no_ position to question me." He gasped for breath as my hand remained gripped tightly around his throat. I loosened my hold slightly, waiting for him to get out a few words.

"I didn't... mean to...upset you." He wheezed out as his hands clawed at mine, attempting to escape my death grip, but his attempts were useless. _He should know better than to think he's stronger than me._

"This isn't upset, Zach." I referred to myself and his eyes widened as I lifted him off the ground. Just when I was about to dispose off the trash, saint Stefan waltzed in like the hero he is, here to save the day. _Does he ever get tired of being the good guy?_

"What's going on?" Zach relaxed slightly as he realised that Stefan was there to be his knight in shining armour. Dropping Zach to the floor I heard a loud thump as I turned towards Stefan.

"Having a family moment Stefan, spending some quality time together." I informed him as if it was obvious. Superman lent down to help Zach up from the floor while glaring daggers at me and I shrugged innocently._ Is there anyone in this God forsaken town that knows how to have fun? _I sighed in disappointment as I vacated the room. _Right, time for the next phase of the plan. Tonight, I'm getting that crystal._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

"Hey honey, I'm home!" I shouted as I walked into the house, Elena rushing out to greet me immediately.

"Did you get me anything?" She asked with a hopeful look on her face, her eyes twinkling. I shook my head slowly and her shoulders slumped. _She didn't ask me to…_

"Sorry Lena, but you can borrow the stuff I've got, I might even have to put some stuff in your closet since I've bought so much." Her frown was replaced by a smile just as Bonnie walked into the hallway. I hadn't seen her since that night a almost a week ago, and during that time I'd had a chance to think about our little argument. _You could've been a bit nicer, Brooke. _An apology was on the edge of my tongue, dying to be let out.

"I'm sorry!" We both said it at the same time, and it broke the ice that was left between us. Truth be told, while I still thought I was right the other night, so was Bonnie. I can understand where she was coming from and she was right. Caroline seems like an insecure person, and I don't want her to think I was out to get her boyfriend.

"Let's just forget about it. Now girl, do you want to see all of the clothes I've got?"

After I'd shown the girls all of the clothes that I'd bought (which was a lot), we all stood infront of the mirror in Elena's bathroom getting ready. I'd already curled my hair loosely and done my makeup, so I was doing Bonnie's hair for her whilst she applied her makeup. Suddenly, the phone rang and Elena - noticing that me and Bonnie were busy - rushed out of the bathroom to answer it. Finishing off I ran my hands through Bonnie's ringlets and we smiled at each other, only to frown as we heard Elena's aggravated voice say a series of curse words from her room. Walking out to find her we saw her jumping up from her bed and hanging up the phone.

"What's wrong?"

"Mrs Lockwood doesn't know where the pocket watch is and she's freaking out because she thinks she lost it, but I think I have a good idea of who actually has it." Elena's heated glare turned towards Jeremy's room and I understood immediately. He was asking about it this morning and freaking out when he heard we were giving it to Mrs Lockwood. _I'm going to kill him. _Storming out of Elena's room and into Jeremy's I knocked the headphones off his head, causing him to flinch as I stood there with my arms crossed.

"Agh! God, what now?" Jeremy asked in a pissed off tone.

"The pocket watch. Where is it?" Jeremy sat up more in his chair.

"What watch?" Jeremy questioned, pretending to be oblivious. _Does he not remember this morning in the kitchen? Of course he does, he's just trying to squeeze his way out of this._

"The one you stole from your mom's box. Look, Mrs Lockwood just called Elena freaking out. It was on the list Jeremy and she can't find it so she thinks she's the one who lost it."

"Well maybe she did, or maybe your boyfriend Tyler took it." Jeremy sneered, trying to frame one of the Lockwoods, namely Tyler. It's not like I'm the guy's biggest fan, but Jeremy isn't much better than him. He'll use any opportunity to make him look bad and vice versa.

"First of all, he's not my boyfriend, and second of all don't even bother playing that card Jeremy, you took it. If I go online am I going to find it on eBay? Is that how you pay for your pot?" I asked him snidely as his eyes burned with rage. He stood up abruptly.

"Screw you!" He walked across the room and reached into his bookshelf, retreiving the pocket watch and raising it up so that it was closer to my face.

"I would never sell this okay!"

"Then why did you take it?"

"Because it's supposed to be mine! Dad said that it goes to the first born son, his father gave it to him and now what?" Jeremy said, frustrated, shoving the pocket watch into my hand before returning to his computer chair. I closed my eyes in confliction. Mrs Lockwood needs this for her display and she really wants to see it._ But, what about Jeremy?_ His dad was going to give him this. It's like a piece of uncle Grayson is in this locket, and it was intended for Jeremy. _How can I take this away from him?_

"And he was going to give it to you."

"Yeah." He gestured towards the door with his hand, but I couldn't just leave like this, not when I could be getting somewhere with him.

"Jeremy, it's still yours okay? Your mom promised Mrs Lockwood, what am I meant to do?" Without missing a beat Jeremy reached for his headphones and replied snarkily to me.

"Just take it and get out." He glared at me and put his headphones on, signalling that the conversation was over. Stepping out of his room and shutting the door I twirled the watch around in my fingers, sighing in dispair. _What am I supposed to do?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Stefan's pov:<em>**

"It's cool not growing old; I like being the eternal stud." Damon remarked as he checked himself out in the mirror in my bedroom, God knows why he's in here. _Most likely trying to piss me off._

"I guess being a one-hundred and forty-five year old teenager has been the height of my happiness." I responded sarcastically as I held up a glass filled with scotch from Damon's stash. The truth is, immortality is the worst part of being a vampire - aside from the bloodlust. It's difficult to forge relationships with people when you know you'll either have to leave them or watch them die, because I live on, eternally seventeen years old. _Then why are you with Elena if it's going to make things harder for you? Why are you friends with Brooke? _I locked away those thoughts in my head. _I just want some happiness, just this once. Why shouldn't I be allowed to have friends and a girlfriend? _

"That was funny Stefan." Damon congratulated, his voice sickingly fake as he pulled on his black suit jacket. I tipped my head back so the bitter alcohol could slide down my throat.

"We should have a drink and celebrate." Damon said as he noticed the glass in my hand. He took it away from me and went to fill it up at the side.

"Eighteen sixty-four. You and Katherine were the perfect couple. It was hell watching you dance with her." Damon revealed to me, though I'd always known it anyway. He knew that too. I do regret a lot of the choices I've made. Choosing Katherine over my brother, being completely infatuated with her. I wasn't shocked when he fell for her too. It's a shame that I didn't realise what she was really like at the time. Maybe mine and Damon's bond wouldn't have been destroyed - and Damon wouldn't have turned into the bloodthirsty monster he is now.

I heard the scotch being poured into his glass. _He's not going to fall for it, I know he isn't._

"Yeah well, my happiness was short lived, as you know."

"I remember. I left the party early; I was waiting for her. The night you dropped her off I was just inside. You were such a gentlemen, you gave her a kiss on the cheek, though what she really wanted was... Oh well. Here's to history repeating itself, huh?" Damon winked at me and lifted his glass, pouring it all over the floor as he let out a shocked and very patronising gasp.

"I admire your effort Stefan. Pouring yourself a drink and then spiking the bottle with Vervain." I clenched my jaw in frustration, hoping that it would look as if I was actually angry over the fact that Damon had found out what Zach and I were planning.

"I'm not some drunk sorority chick, you can't roofie me. But, I can't help but feel a little used. I thought we were having a _moment. _Great, now I have to go to the party angry. Who knows what I'll do." Damon walked out of the room with an annoyed look on his face, though I know he was enjoying this whole thing. _Finally. Now it's time for the next phase of the plan - find Zach._

Changing as quickly as I possibly could using my vampire speed I raced down the stairs, bumping straight into Zach. _Just the man I'm looking for._

"The Vervain was in Damon's scotch, I thought it would work." Zach said as he referred to our previous plan that the two of us came up with. Zach doesn't know that I changed it, but I only did that because I knew Damon wouldn't fall for it. He's not that stupid. He's not stupid at all actually, that's the problem. He's too smart; so I'm going to have to play him at his own game.

"Oh, I wasn't counting on it." Zach looked at me in surprise.

"You knew it would fail." I nodded.

"It did what I wanted, it lowered his guard, he won't expect me to try again so soon." Zach held up the vile of Vervain I'd asked him for earlier.

"I doubled what I put in the scotch." He handed it to me and I walked out of the door. This plan _will_ work. I can stop the monster terrorising Mystic Falls. I can save everybody in this town from him._ But, I'm locking up my brother to do it_.

And? _It doesn't matter; get over it Stefan_. We haven't been brothers in a long time.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

Slipping on my black patent, four inch high heels I stood up and smoothed down my black bandeau chiffon dress with flower beading in the top left corner, the dress falling about half way down my thigh. I put on some bright red listick and smiled at myself in the mirror. _Looks like I'm ready to go. _As I was about to step out of my room I noticed the pocket watch out of the corner of my eye, sitting on my vanity table. Guilt flooded through me like a tidal wave. _Jeremy doesn't have much left that reminds him of his father._

Picking it up I let myself into Jeremy's room, knowing that if I knocked he wouldn't invite me in anyway. He refused to look at me, pretending to be engrossed in his music so I sighed softly, putting the watch on his notepad before I left the room. _You tried Brooke; all you can do is try. He just doesn't want your help._

After Stefan came to the house, me, Elena, Stefan, Jenna and Bonnie all arrived at the Lockwood mansion. Jenna and I gushed over the place. After all, it is _gigantic. _

Jenna and I reminised about old times whilst Bonnie, Stefan and Elena disappeared somewhere, and before I knew it, it was night time and the sky had turned black. Jenna suddenly grabbed my arm and linked the two of ours together, pulling me towards a waitor, placing a glass of champagne in my hand. I'm not particularly fond of champagne, but Jenna insisted on it. I was about to ask what was wrong when I heard a voice.

"Jenna." Jenna paused in mid-step, forcing me to stop because our arms were joined together.

"Hello Logan." Jenna said in a slightly forced tone. Oh, Logan's here!_ This should be entertaining..._

"It's good to see you!" He moved to pull her into a hug but she leaned backwards and grimaced.

"I thought I might see you here." Jenna said in a tone that sounded almost like disgust. I wanted to laugh, but she seemed to notice and her grip on my arm tightened, so much that I was afraid there may be a bruise on my arm tomorrow morning.

"You knew it." Logan's once pleasant smile fell.

"I dreaded."

"But were secretly hoping,"

"And now that I have." Jenna turned away from him and proceded to pull me away but Logan grabbed onto Jenna's hand, holding her champagne flute, causing me to once again stop mid-step._  
><em>

"Woah, not so fast! I know you, you have a lot more insults in you, I can tell." I snorted. She _definitely_ does. _She wasn't exactly complimenting you this morning._

"Your hairline's receding."

"No it's not. You want to have lunch?"

"No." Her voice sounded sure, but her eyes didn't. I knew that she wanted to go to lunch with him - it was blindingly obvious - even though she's always trying to deny it. _This is how she always falls for the wrong people._

"You haven't changed a bit."

"Oh yes I have, I'm meaner now." She pulled me away and I finally let my laugh escape. She glared at me, but it only made me want to laugh harder. After a brief discustion on Logan I excused myself to have a wander around. I could see Elena looking at the belongings her parents had donated for the display, including their wedding rings.

"Hey Lena."

"Hey Brooke." There were a few moments of silence.

"It's okay to miss them you know. I know it's really painful right now, but eventually you won't have to cry every time you think of them. I promise." Her eyes became glossy and I rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. She smiled at me as Stefan joined the two of us.

"Hey Stef." He smiled at me.

"Hey Brooke, Elena." After having a little conversation, Elena suddenly found something of interest.

"The founding families of Mystic Falls welcomes you to the inaugural celebration. Wow, look, it's the original guest registary," Elena spoke in awe as our eyes scanned over the list. "Look at all these familiar names: Sheriff William Forbes; mayor Benjamin Lockwood... Is that, Damon Salvatore? And _Stefan Salvatore?_" Elena spoke slowly as she and I ingested the information. _Wait a second, now I'm confused - Damon and Stefan Salvatore?_

"The original Salvatore brothers. Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually." Goosebumps appeared on my arms as I heard Damon walk up behind the three of us with Caroline clinging to his arm. _Oh God, what is he doing here? Maybe he's here because he's from one of the founding families, you idiot._

"We don't need to bore them with stories of the past." Stefan said, almost sternly, only contributing to my already confused and lost thoughts.

"It's not boring Stefan. I'd love to hear more about your family." Elena said in her determined tone of voice and I knew why. She wants to know more about Stefan, who from what she's told me isn't really into talking about serious things, like his and Damon's ex-girlfriend Katherine. Fidgeting slightly on my spot I tried to look away from the two couples. _I hate being the fifth wheel. _I felt my skin grow hot as my eyes connected with a pair of dazzling blue eyes. I can't deny that they're utterly beautiful. It feels like I could look into them forever and never grow tired of staring into the hypnotic, enchanting pools of blue in his eyes; they are unbelievably gorgeous.

"Well I'm bored. I want to dance, and _Damon, _won't dance with me." Caroline pouted, forcing me to tear my eyes away from Damon's. _He's bad. He's really, really bad. Don't be like Jenna who always falls for the bad guy._

"Can I just... Borrow your date?" Caroline asked Elena who looked slightly uncomfortable at Caroline's request.

"Oh, erm..." She laughed awkwardly as everyone stared at her.

"I don't really dance." Stefan intercepted.

"Oh, sure he does. You should see him, the waltz, the jitterbug, the moonwalk, he does it all!" Damon and Stefan stared at each other with indescribable looks on their faces.

"You wouldn't mind would you, Elena?" Elena's shoulders slumped and I could sense that she was going to give in to her peppy cheerleading friend, even though she didn't want to. That's Elena for you, always the selfless type; she's always trying to please others, even if it's at her own expense.

"It's up to Stefan." Elena replied reluctantly.

"Well sorry, but I'm not going to take no for an answer." Caroline grinned as she grabbed Stefan's hand and dragged him down the hall, leaving me, Damon and Elena stood in absolute silence, all of us unsure about what to say._ Well, I am at least._

"I want to apologise to you for being such a... World class jerk. The other night when I tried to kiss you, there was no excuse." Elena nodded and I felt my chest tighten slightly. The thought of him trying to use Elena as a pawn in a game with his brother didn't sit well with me.

"My therapist says I'm acting out, trying to punish Stefan." Elena looked taken a back.

"For what?"

"It's a long story, it's all in the past, I don't even want to bring it all up. But, lets just say that the men in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry." Damon informed the two of us and I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"And it all started with the original Salvatore brothers." Damon pointed to the registary.

"The Salvatore name is practically royalty in this town, until the war there was a battle here-"

"The battle of Willow Creek." Elena interrupted Damon.

"Right." He looked as confused as I felt a moment ago and Elena smiled slightly. I chose this as the perfect moment to jump into the conversation.

"Confedarate soldiers fired down a church with civilians inside." I said. My father used to tell me the story every time we visited Mystic Falls, and that was _a lot. _The story has been burned into my brain, I don't think I could ever forget any of it. Especially the part where my dad (who must have been wasted at the time), told me that the civilians were vampires. Damon turned to face me with a small smile on his face, making my tightened chest relax.

"Well, what's been left out is that the people that were killed weren't there by accident. They were believed to be union simpathisers, so some of the founders on the confedaracy side back then wanted them rounded up and burnt alive." Elena and I were shocked at this information. _He sounds so sure. Even though it seems a bit far fetched to me, it's more believable than my father's theory about the people being a bunch of vampires that were burnt to death._

"Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much in that church... And, when they went to rescue them they were shot, murdered in cold blood." Elena excused herself, saying that she was going to get a drink and I looked at Damon intently, wondering who this person was and why they meant so much to the original Damon and Stefan.

"Who was it in the church that they wanted to save?"

"A woman, I guess. Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?" Damon's gaze burned through me and I suddenly became self concious. I could feel him looking right through me, into my soul, and my body welcomed the warmth of his gaze. _He's bad, you know this. You remember that he tried to kiss Elena, right?_

"Look, I'm sorry that you and Stefan have this thing between you, but Elena can't get in the middle of it Damon." He nodded and looked down towards the floor. I was going to leave it at that, but something inside of me didn't like the way his eyes looked so lost, or the way his shoulders dropped.

"I just... I hope you two can work it out." His head lifted and his eyes met mine, a small smile resting on his face.

"I hope so too." Elena returned and the two of them went to find their dates. In the mean time, I took a wander over to the bar, getting a glass of water since I'm not really in the mood to get hammered tonight. Just as I was served I heard Jenna speaking to Logan, only catching the end of their conversation.

"_Her name was Monica, wasn't it?_"

She stormed away from him and went down the hall. I ran straight after her, tugging on her arm until she stopped when she realised that it was me. Her eyes were glazed over and a silver tear rolled down her cheek as I pulled her into a hug. I sighed as I rubbed her back and she rested her head on my shoulder.

_I hate it when Jenna's upset, especially over a guy._

"Logan doesn't deserve you Jen; you're are so much better than him. He doesn't deserve your tears, or your heart. He isn't worth it." She nodded and pulled back so she could look at me in the eye.

"I know Brooke, I know, and trust me it's not like I want to like him - I just do. But I won't get back together with him. You're right, he's isn't worth it." Elena rushed around the corner with Bonnie in tow.

"Hey Brooke, can I talk to you?"

* * *

><p>"It's my fault, I planted doubt; I'm a doubt planter!"<p>

"It's not your fault, I just feel terrible. I was all snotty." Elena said, dismissing Bonnie's blame and directing it towards herself. _What is it with all of the guys tonight? They're acting like idiots.  
><em>

"Elena honey, there you are. I noticed that the watch still isn't in the collection." Mrs Lockwood took a seat opposite from us three and Elena looked confused, but I wasn't.

"I thought Brooke had put it in the collection." Mrs Lockwood's eyes turned to me and I quickly tried to explain myself. _No offense, but it's only a pocket watch, why is she so interested in it?_

"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs Lockwood, I couldn't find it. I guess it's still packed up in Grayson and Miranda's stuff somewhere." I noticed Elena glance at me from the corner of her eye, probably figuring out the real reason behind the missing watch.

"I see. Well, please let me know if you _do_ find it." I nodded as she left the room. _Why would she want to see it if it's only needed for this event anyway?_

"I'm going to go to the bathroom." Elena gave me a look and I stood up along with her.

"I'll come with you." We left the room and Elena started to interrorgate me about the watch's wear abouts.

"You know where that watch is Brooke, why didn't you give it to Mrs Lockwood?" She asked, not in a mean way, but I knew she was curious as to why I hadn't taken it away from Jeremy.

"You didn't see Jere's face Elena, he really wants that watch - it's important to him. How can I take something so important away from him like that?"

"Well, why is it important? And why do you care about what Jeremy wants? He's been such a jerk to you recently." I inhaled deeply before explaining.

"Well, in answer to both of your questions, your dad was going to give it to Jeremy, and I know that Jeremy has been horrible but he has a reason. I wasn't there at the funeral for your parents, and I am _so_ sorry about that Elena; but I can't change the past." We reached the bathroom and went inside, noticing that Caroline was in there checking her makeup in the mirror.

"Hey." Elena said, quietly and nervously.

"Hey Caroline." She basically ignored me, so I bit my lip to keep myself from saying anything I might regret.

"So, how are things with Stefan?" _Please don't tell me she wants both of the Salvatore brothers. _I wanted to laugh, but then I remembered something - _Katherine did._ That thought shut me up completely.

"Great, just great!" Elena said as she put on some lip gloss and I reapplied my lipstick. I don't usually wear lipstick, but I've always been a huge fan of red lipstick so I decided to wear it tonight.

"Really?" Caroline said in a disbelieving tone.

"Well, my radar must be off cause I was getting all sorts of other vibes." I saw Elena's posture turn ridged.

"What is that?" Elena asked curiously as she looked Caroline's neck. My eyes followed the movements of Elena's hand which reached out to touch whatever she could see, but Caroline batted her hand out of the way.

"Don't!" I then realised that there was something wrong and I pushed her hair to the side to take a look for myself.

"Brooke!"

"What is that?" Elena asked with a tinge of fear in her voice._  
><em>

"Nothing okay, nothing!"

"That is _not_ nothing! Did somebody hurt you?" I questioned her angrily as I saw some weird marks on her neck, familiar to bruises, but something was different about them. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to figure it out because Caroline had distanced herself from Elena and I.

"No okay! It's nothing! It's just... My mom would kill me." She murmured as she checked her makeup in the mirror, trying to escape the conversation. Elena's frantic eyes looked at me in the mirror and I knew that even though I didn't particularly like Caroline, I still had to help her, especially if someone was hurting her. I slid down the cardigan covering her dress, revealing some more marks on her back. These marks seemed cleaner, and I could finally see what they were: _Bite marks. _I blinked a few times, unsure if I was seeing things, but Elena's gasp assured me that I wasn't._ Who could do this to Caroline? Especially in such intimate places? _Then it came to me, just as Elena said the name.

"Did Damon hurt you?" _Damon._

"No! No, of course... Of course not. Just leave me alone okay Elena! God!" Caroline pushed Elena away when she went to check for more marks and ran out of the room, but I was unable to move; I was paralysed in shock. _Damon did this to her? The guy I've been having dreams about, the guy I think is the hottest guy on the entire planet, the guy with the looks and the I.Q to match. He was abusing Caroline?_

"I can't believe this Brooke! Damon's been... He's been hurting her!" Elena's eyes welled up with tears and she went to leave the room but I caught her arm.

"Wait! Where are you going?" She took a deep breath.

"I'm going to go talk to Damon, tell him to stay away from Caroline." I shook my head immediately. _No. Absolutely not. There is no way in hell I am letting her anywhere near him, who knows what he could do to her._

"No Elena, I'll go, you try and find Caroline, okay?" She nodded and we both took off down the hall in different directions. I went towards the garden and could see Damon's back facing me. I stomped over to him, shoving him as hard as I could. I'm no where near as strong as him so it didn't have the desired effect, but it caught his attention and he turned around.

"There is something seriously wrong with you. Stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother - the sheriff. Got it? _Stay, away from her!_" I spat out in disgust before walking around him and going off to find someone normal and sane to talk to. _You said it yourself Brooke, people who seem perfect are always hiding a dark secret._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Stefan's pov:<em>**

"I knew I couldn't spike your drink, so I spiked hers." I referred to earlier when I'd gotten myself and Caroline a drink, the latter being completely oblivious to the Vervain I'd put in her champagne. I crouched down to where Damon was on the ground, struggling to move as he groaned, a sign that the Vervain was passing through his system._ He'll be easy to take care of now_.

Picking him up I stole one last glance at Caroline who seemed to be waking up and ran off as fast as I could to the boarding house. I was there within seconds, and I dropped Damon into the cellar who had now passed out due to the Vervain.

_I did what I had to do for Elena, and for Brooke. To protect everyone. Yes Damon, the headline reads, deadly beast captured. All is well in Mystic Falls._

I shut the cellar door while Zach stood behind me with a satisfied look on his face. He walked away and went up the stairs, whilst I stayed behind, peeking through the bars and looking inside to see my brother lying there in pain. I felt a something pierce my heart at the sight, but I reminded myself that he is no longer my brother. He isn't important to me anymore, Elena is. I have to keep her safe, no matter what the cost. _Even my own brother._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Founder's Council (3rd person):<em>**

"Thank you for staying so late." George Lockwood said as he entered the sitting room, greeting the sheriff and various other members of the council.

"Did you get the Gilbert watch?" Elizabeth asked impatiently.

"She claims it's packed away in Miranda and Grayson's things." Carol Lockwood informed everybody in the room as Logan Fell took a seat in an arm chair, turning to face everybody with a beaming smile on his face as he proudly announced that he would manage to obtain it.

"I can get it."

"Good. We're going to need it." The sheriff commented. Everyone in the room exchanged looks as they finally came to the conclusion that they were back. What they had been fearing the most had returned to Mystic Falls.

"Are you sure?" The mayor directed his question towards the sheriff.

"Five bodies all drained of blood. I'm certain." Logan nodded in agreement.

"They've come back."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** Hey everyone! That was Family Ties, I hope you enjoyed it!_

**_Review!_**


	6. You're Undead To Me

_**A/N:** Hey guys hope you are well! Thank you to the people who put this story in their favourites or alerts, thank you to the people who put me on their favourite author's list, and thank you to** mitzzy, sonny13** and **britt4565** for reviewing._

_I've had a couple of reviews telling me I'm accidently using Elena's lines for Brooke and I'm sorry, I had no idea I was doing it! Thanks for letting me know, I will try my hardest not to do it in the future!_

_I also had a review asking me to not completely use the shows lines when I put some of the shows scenes in, so I will either try to cut down the length of the scenes, change the lines or extend them. I hope it's okay that I include some of the shows scenes, cause this fanfiction does mostly follow the show, and I've seen lots of other authors do the same thing. I put the scenes in so you can see how the characters are feeling, and if I throw in some curveballs and the show's plots change, that you can understand why._

_Disclaimer: I **do not** own the Vampire Diaries._

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><p><strong><em>Stefan's pov:<em>**

Peeking through the bars I could see Damon struggling to move; his breathing was ragged and sharp, and he appeared to be unaware of my presence, but I knew that he was. Vampires can sense everything, especially stronger ones like Damon. I saw his eyes flicker towards his hand and knew exactly what he was thinking.

"You won't be needing your ring anymore. You won't be seeing the sunlight for a _long _time." He growled in aggravation.

"How long... have I... been here?"

"Three days. I've been waiting for you to wake up; You always were a heavy sleeper." Damon obviously wasn't in the mood for small talk, so I shut up immediately. The least I can do is try not to annoy him when I'm about to lock him away for fifty years. _But he deserves it_. _Why should I be tip toeing around him?_

"What... are you... doing?"

"During the dark ages when a vampire would misbave, or his actions would cause problems like making humans aware of the existence of vampires, they would face judgement. They decided to re-educate them rather than choosing to punish them with torture and death."

"Well, I'll tell you something Stefan... this seems a lot... like torture... to me. Starving me of... blood. You know what... happens if I... don't drink... blood." Damon said as sarcatically as he could, but due to the pauses in between his words caused by the Vervain, his words didn't really have the desired effect.

"You'll grow weaker and weaker. And eventually, you'll barely be able to move or speak, you'll just be too weak to do anything. In a week your skin will desicate and you'll mumify. Soon enough you'll just be a living corpse, unable to hurt anyone. Me, Elena, Brooke, Zach, Caroline and God knows how many other people will finally be safe from you."

"So what, you're just going to leave me in the basement? _Forever? _Is that honestly the best you can come up with?" He laughed mockingly before coughing violently, while I just shook my head.

"There's enough Vervain in you to keep you weak. Within a week when the circulation stops and you can barely move, I'll move you to the family crypt, and in fifty years there's a chance we can re-evaluate."

"I'm stronger than you think. Even you know it, otherwise you wouldn't have spiked my drink with Vervain." My thoughts flashed back to slipping the herb into Caroline's champagne briefly before I refocused on him.

"Well like you said, you may be stronger than me, but you're not stronger than the Vervain and we both know it. Just admit it Damon, you lost; the game's over. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but you chose the hard way, just like you always do." And with that, I left him there and ran up the stairs, searching for my history book. Spotting it out of the corner of my eye, my hand reached out at lightening speed to grab it.

Slipping it inside of my bag I was ready to go and meet Elena, but I paused when a photograph fell from the bookshelf and drifted to the floor. I crouched down to the floor to pick it up, regretting it almost immediately when I realised what the picture was of.

It was a black and white snapshot of me and Damon.

It wasn't taken during the time me and Damon had become involved with Katherine, no, we met Katherine not too long after this photograph was shot. It was taken the day Damon left the confederacy, and it also happened to be my seventeeth birthday. Damon returning was the best birthday present I ever could have gotten. Unfortunately, father didn't share my happiness, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary, he never did. It was one of the last good times I and Damon shared before Katherine waltzed onto the scene...

_I'd escaped from the madness._

_I was currently walking along the grounds of our property, in search of peace and quiet. Inside there are a few, well I say a few but I mean crowds of people inside of the boarding house, celebrating my birthday. My seventeeth birthday. Laughter and chatter could be heard from where I was standing presently, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. However, I wasn't in the mood to celebrate._

_There isn't a single person inside of that house that I want to celebrate my birthday with. Not even father. Truth be told they're all liars, they're all fake. None of them are my friends. Of course, I get on quite well with some of them, but they don't really interest me. I find myself bored when I engage in conversation with them._

_Pausing in my step, I relished in the comfort of the soft breeze as it caressed my face. There is only one person I wish to spend my birthday with. Unfortunately, he's not here. He's out there, fighting for something he doesn't believe in just to keep father happy._

_My brother, Damon._

_Oh, how I wish he was here. Damon always knows how to brighten my day. He shares similar thoughts about the people inside as I do, but the difference with Damon is that he doesn't bother trying to pretend he likes them. Damon would tell them all exactly what he thought of them, despite the fury from father that would be lashed out upon him. That's why I admire Damon so much, he's who I aspire to be. He's my rolemodel, and I __wish I was more like him__. Fearless. Completely fearless. Well... not exactly. _

_Damon would always be there to keep me out of harms way. He always stood by me, and I've tried my hardest to reciprocate that protection. The only problem is father. He always pushes me too hard, and he stops Damon from reaching his full potential._

_Damon is one of a kind, like an imperfect diamond: he's not of perfect clarity and his edges aren't straight enough.__ However, despite all of his flaws, he's the one that everybody wants. Damon can captivate people, capture their attention without any effort neccessary. Damon is desired by all._

_Except father._

_Nothing Damon does is good enough for him. He's never satisfied with his attempts. It's almost as if he thinks that Damon is a lost cause, and that he isn't worth wasting his precious time on. But he's wrong._

_For weeks and weeks, father would bring up the subject of the confederacy. Damon wanted no part in it, but father spoke about it vehemently. And truth be told, when Damon announced that he decided to be a confederate soldier, it was the first time I'd ever seen father proud of Damon. He even smiled. Damon seemed over the moon with father's reaction, as it was the first time in his twenty-four years, that Guisseppe was pleased. _

_Secretly, I think it's because he's finally gotten rid of Damon, but I didn't have the heart to tell him that. I wouldn't be the one to disappoint Damon, father already has that position filled. I have an inkling that my brother already knows, but he's just happy to have some pride emitted towards him, even if it's fake._

_"I can definitely see who the life of the party is." My eyes widened at the sound of that voice. One I hadn't heard in a very long time. One that shouldn't be here._

_Damon._

_I rotated slowly, not at all believing what I was hearing. It's like I'm under an illusion, because this cannot be real, not in the slightest._

_But it was._

_Because when I turned around he was in front of me, roughly ten metres or so away. He was leaning against a tree with a smirk on his face, and his left eyebrow was raised in expectation._

_"Don't look at me like I'm a parasite. You can come closer; I won't bite." Before I even realised what I was doing I had my arms wrapped around him tightly._

_"My my, little brother, you know I don't swing that way!" Damon said mockingly and chuckled in amusement at my reaction, but returned my hug nonetheless. I pulled back quickly, my eyes filled with confusion, curiosity and happiness. Why is Damon here? Is he on leave?_

_"Here comes the interrogation. I know you're confused Stef, and you have a right to be. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that I, Damon Salvatore, your handsome, charming, smarter, better looking-"_

_"Cut to the chase Damon!" I yelled impatiently. It only ceased to make his smirk expand ever larger, and he tutted at me._

_"Tut tut Stefan, haven't you ever heard it's rude to interrupt people when they're talking? Stop glaring at me, I'll tell you... I've decided to leave the confederacy." Damon revealed to me and I was over the moon. A smile appeared on my face, and I could see Damon shoot me a beaming grin as he realised I was just as happy as he was. But then, it hit me. What is father going to say? The thought forced the smile on my face to droop like a wilting flower as my lips curved downwards into a frown, Damon's expression mirroring mine._

_"What about father, Damon? What is he going to say? Oh no, Damon, what are we going to do?"_

_"Calm down Stefan! Everything will be fine, I can handle this situation myself, you do not need to be involved in this matter." Damon spoke with conviction, but I didn't want him to go against father alone. He would be furious, even deadly. And while I know that Damon is more than capable of protecting himself, I don't want to risk it. There is no telling what father could do. He's utterly unpredictable._

_"No Damon, father will never let this go. You'll be sleeping with one eye open for the rest of your life, let me help you. You need some support." I could see Damon debating with himself in his mind, however he was still dead set on facing our deranged father alone. He shook his head negatively._

_"Absolutely not. You know what father is like Stefan, you've seen it in the past, and even been on the recieving end of it." Damon scowled as he said this, and I tried to keep myself from flinching at the memory. Father had only ever layed a hand on me once, and I'm sure it wouldn't have been the last if it hadn't of been for Damon. Words cannot describe Damon's face as he watched father knock the wind out if me. But he only did it once. Damon made sure of that._

_"It's not as if father would ever risk doing anything like that again, he learned his lesson from the last time." He most certainly did. But that's not all I'm worried about. Father doesn't need to hurt Damon physically, the blow hurts just as much as the verbal one. And father will take every opportunity he can get to kick Damon while he's down._

_"I know he did Damon, and I don't doubt that you can take care of yourself, but I hate the way he treats you, the way he talks to you. It's not acceptable."_

_"You're right Stefan, it isn't acceptable. But it's life. Obviously, we shouldn't have to put up with it but we must. It's just the way things are, it's not new to us Stefan, we've grown up with it for our entire lives."_

_"But that doesn't make it right Damon!" He nodded in agreement._

_"It isn't right. It's unfair, cruel and neither of us deserve it. We have it harder than some people, but we are also far better off than most. Our lives could be so much worse Stefan; trust me. The war has made me realise exactly what matters in life - including you. So who cares what the wicked witch of the west thinks? I know I don't. I don't want to argue with you Stefan. Today's meant to be a good day. Not only has your devilishly handsome brother returned, but it's also your seventeeth birthday." Damon's frown turned upside down as he smirked and I sighed in annoyance._

_"Yes, It's fantastic! It's my birthday, and I am the centre of attention inside of there. You know how much I hate being the centre of attention." I scowled at the thought of everybody inside. They kept following me around and talking to me, and I'm not normally rude, but I felt like telling them to stick their happy birthday wishes where the Sun doesn't shine._

_"Well you're obviously not, otherwise they all would have realised that you'd left." Damon brought up a very valid point, but before I could think of anything to retaliate with he held up his hand and presented a box to me. Despite having no idea what was inside, I had to poke some fun at him._

_"You're not asking me to marry you are you? Cause truth be told I don't think you're my cup of tea." Damon scoffed._

_"You know I have far better standards than you Stefanie." I shoved him slightly and grabbed the box. Opening it I saw a key, causing me to become confused._

_"What's this for?"_

_"It's the key to father's liquor cabinet." It was silent for a moment before our laughter echoed around us, and I felt my eyes welling up with tears._

_"Seriously? I actually have no idea on how I'm meant to respond to that... Thank you for this... original... gift?" Damon howled with laughter once again._

_"That's not your real present brother! I guess it's obvious who the smarter Salvatore is. Follow me." He grinned and began to run across the grounds, with me in tow. Struggling to keep up with Damon's fast pace, I was beginning to run out of breath when we suddenly stopped inside of the forest not too far from our house. Damon gestured towards a camera on a stand in front of me, and my lips curved upwards into a gigantic smile._

_It was only a simple wooden box camera, nothing out of the ordinary. But it meant the world to me. I'd wanted one for years, and father had refused to buy one for me. I loved the idea of a camera being able to capture the moment forever. They make it possible for memories to exist for eternity._

_"Do you like it? Who am I kidding, of course you do, you've wanted one since you were five years old." I was actually speechless. There are so many thoughts on my mind right now, but I don't know how to voice any of them. Damon remembered. He always listens to me, and he never forgets what I tell him, even if what I say makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. There were so many things that I wanted to say, but I could only say one._

_"Thank you Damon... I love it." He slung his arm around my shoulder and I mimicked his action. My brother is back. He's here for my birthday, and he isn't going anywhere. That alone is more than I can ask for, the camera is just the icing on the cake... and I'm not forgetting about the key to father's liquor cabinet._

_"You're welcome; Smile for the camera Stefanie. Happy birthday."_

My ringing phone snapped me out of me memory. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of good times with Damon. _There won't be anymore happy memories, so stop living in the past and start living in the present._

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><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

_"You're not going to believe what I just saw!" _Elena whisper shouted at me as I exited my room, and I looked at her in confusion. She looked utterly mortified.

"Woah, where's the fire?" She span around, checking that there was nobody in sight before she quickly latched onto my hand and dragged me into her room, my mutterings of 'ouch, that hurts' seemed to go unheard.

"I just saw Vicki in the bathroom! I mean, what the hell? Since when was she here? And this is going to get Jeremy into even more trouble, especially with Tyler..." She sat down on her bed and scrunched up her hair in frustration. Sighing, I picked up her hairbrush and began running it through her hair.

"I know what you mean. Look there isn't anything we can do about it, we just have to let them get on with it, and it's not like we can tell Jeremy to stop seeing her - we know better than to think that he'll actually listen to us." She nodded and the two of us decided to throw on some clothes before we went downstairs to get some breakfast. I put on a pair of dark blue jeans, some plain black flats, a green halterneck top and slipped on a couple of brown bangels. I decided to wear my hair up today, and I kept my make-up fairly natural.

I entered the kitchen, my eyes widening as I heard Jenna tell Elena that she wouldn't be home for dinner, and she said it in a flirtatious manner. _I can't believe it. She's fell for Logan's charms, again. When will this woman learn?_

"I can't believe it. Jenna, what was it that you said a few days ago? Something along the lines of him being a cheating scumbag and that you would never, _ever _consider going out with him again?" Her eyes dropped to the floor guiltily and I knew I was right. Elena, however, smiled at her teasingly.

"I think It's great. You're going to go out with Logan!" Elena smirked at the two of us, and I could see Jenna already lightening up at the thought. I, however, was not pleased in the slightest. Logan will only hurt her again, she even said it herself and now, she's going out with him. _Again._

"Well, I'm going to show up and torture him if that's what you mean." She didn't say it very convincingly, so I knew it was probably only for my sake. _Unfortunately, I'm not stupid enough to buy it._

"Have you heard from Stefan?" Jenna chose the perfect moment to change the conversation because I knew that I was about to say something I was going to regret. _Nice move, Jen. _From the look on Elena's face, it seemed as if she didn't know the answer herself.

"Since he left that very vague message three days ago, 'Hi umm, Elena, I umm, I have something I have to do I'll umm, explain in a few days'." Elena spoke sarcastically.

"Good Stefan immitation by the way." She smiled as I complimented her tone of voice.

"Haven't you called him?" Jenna said amusedly.

"Nope. Not going to either." Elena declared in a hard voice whilst she poured herself some cereal. I noticed Jenna's smile drop out of the corner of my eye.

"And you're okay with everything?" I jumped up when Elena dropped her plate on the counter and a loud clanging sound flew to my ears. _I am seriously worried about the sensitivity of my eardrums. Keith is always shouting down them from behind me._

"No, I'm not okay with any of it. But I'm not going to cry about it either."

"Yeah, she's not you Jen." I dodged the hand that was soaring through the air towards my arm and flew out of my seat, motioning for Elena to continue.

"You know, I was going to write in my diary this morning and I thought, what am I going to write? Honestly, I'm not going to be one of those pathetic girls whose world stops spinning because of some guy." I hid a smirk as Jenna bit her lip, unsure of what to say to that.

"Yep, because your world is still rotating perfectly fine. That's why you're staring at your phone, waiting for a certain somebody to ring you." Elena's head snapped towards mine and I chose it wise to leave the room at this point. _Probably best not to annoy every person I know. _I jumped into my car and headed towards the grill. My shift's about to start.

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><p>Work was quite good today; all of the staff seemed relaxed and happy, they were joking around and wearing smiles on their faces, which isn't what they've been like the past few shifts I've had. Granted, I've not been here very long, but everyone always seemed depressed at work, and I don't think it's because they hate the job itself.<p>

It's Keith.

He's not here today, he rang up earlier telling me that he had some business to take care of, and when I asked him what it was he told me to... well, to put it in kinder words, that I was not obliged to know. The atmosphere instantly changed as I told the staff, and even _my_ mood has changed seeing everyone with smiles on their faces, with laughter drifting to my ears and jokes being thrown around. We were all taking extra breaks as well, so at the moment I'm just lounging around and playing on the pin ball machine. _I'm not winning though._

"Brooke! Just the person I've been looking for!" Elena's chipper voice distracted me and I lost, yet again, causing an annoyed sigh to escape my lips.

"Elena, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I put some more money into the machine and decided that this time I was going to win, and I was going to get the high score. _Pft, fat chance..._

"Please tell me you're not busy tomorrow, you don't have work or anything do you?" I shook my head sideways.

"Nope, I'm free, why?" She sat down on a chair next to me and paused for a while. I cocked my head to the side so she knew to continue. _I'm actually doing quite well this time! I think I might win after all._

"Caroline's having this sexy suds car wash, and she kept asking me to find people to help out."

"That's no problem, I've got nothing better to do anyway. It gets me out of listening to my father's voice mail messages, so..." Elena giggled at my aggravated tone. _I really need to get a new number soon. _It was then that I realised that Elena had mentioned Caroline, and I was curious to know how she was doing. She doesn't really like me, and It's not like I'm her biggest fan either, but what she's been going through the past few weeks is traumatic and terrifying. _It's definitely made me see Damon in a new light, and not in the good kind._

"How is Caroline doing? I mean, you know, is she alright and everything? She looked awful the last time I saw her." _Well, can you blame her? Her boyfriend was abusing her, she's not exactly going to be on cloud nine is she?_

"I'm worried about her. I saw her at school earlier, and she was totally fine. It was like nothing had happened, and that it was just a normal day. I guess that'a a good thing, and she's totally focused on this car wash so at least she's not thinking about him. Or at least she wasn't." My eyes narrowed in confusion, but I smiled as I realised I wasn't far away from reaching my goal. _I only need a few more points now..._

"What do you mean at least she wasn't? _He, _hasn't dared to go near her again has he? I told him that her mother was the sheriff..." I muttered as anger began to rise within me. _If I find out that's he's going to try and hurt her again-_

"Not exactly. Stefan told her that Damon's leaving town, and that he's never coming back." I froze. _He's leaving. And never coming back. _Due to my frozen structure, the loser music began playing and I realised that my pause had caused me to lose the game. _Again. _I hit the machine in frustration, though I'm not sure whether it was directed to my losing self, or Damon Salvatore's departure.

"What do you means he's not coming back?"

"It means that he's never stepping a foot inside of Mystic Falls _ever_ again. Which means he's never going to hurt Caroline again. She was really torn up about it at school when Stefan said that he'd been dealing with him, but I told her it's for the best. Which it is, right? I know Caroline isn't the nicest of people, but she doesn't deserve to be treated that way. At least that explains why Stefan's been gone for the past few days. Speaking of, have you seen Stefan? He's meant to be meeting me here." I'd pretty much zoned out after I heard the words, _he's never stepping foot in Mystic Falls ever again._ Something inside of me seemed to unlike her statement. I felt myself being nudged, and I saw Elena raise an eyebrow in expectation.

"Sorry, what?"

"Have you seen Stefan? He's meeting me here." I blinked a few times and shook my head sideways.

"No, but I'll keep an eye out." She nodded and stared at me for a few moments before she said she was going to ask Matt if he knew where he was.

Damon's not coming back. _Damon's not coming back. _The words were continuously being repeated as if they were on a loop, and I rubbed my head gently as I tried to make some sense of my thoughts. I was actually thankful. He's not going to be able to hurt Caroline anymore, or anyone inside of Mystic Falls. This is a good thing, not to mention Stefan won't have to be around him ever again, and neither will Elena or myself.

But I couldn't deny that there was something inside of me that felt... hurt. That felt... unhappy. I was too wrapped up in my Damon filled thoughts that I didn't notice Stefan appear until he began to wave a hand in front of my face.

"Brooke? Are you okay?" I managed to snap myself out of my thoughts, and focused my full attention on Stefan. Well, almost my full attention. There's still an aching in my chest that only became present a few moments ago...

"Oh yeah, I'm fine! Are you looking for Elena? She's over there by the pool table with Matt, I'll walk you over." Matt disappeared the second we arrived, and I stood there about ready to leave myself as Elena asked him why he was an hour late. You need to have a pretty good excuse to get away with turning up _that_ late.

When Elena started to ask why all of Stefan's answers were vague responses, I knew it was my cue to leave.

"Right... So I'm going to get back to work." I got about two steps before I paused.

"I know you." All three of us turned around to see an elderly coloured man approaching Stefan with a look of astonishment and wonder on his face.

"My God..." He muttered in confusion, and I looked at Stefan with the same expression as the man was staring at him with.

"I'm sorry." Stefan said, as if he'd never seen this man before in his life.

"I know you. How can it be?" His stare was beginning to get a little unnerving.

"I think you have the wrong person."

"You haven't aged... a day." His words did absolutely nothing to alter my mood. It's not every day that you get somebody walk up to you and say things like this guy was. And to top it off, none of what he was saying seemed to make any sense. Unless Stefan was lying, and he did know who this person was. But why would he? He has no reason to.

"I'm sorry, excuse me. Hey, can I take you home? And we can talk about it..." Stefan and Elena walked away to the door, but she left alone and when Stefan turned around he and the stranger started staring at each other again. _What the hell is going on?_

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><p>I still don't understand. It just doesn't make any sense. Stefan muttered something about not knowing the guy to me, before rushing out of the door like Sonic the hedgehog. Meanwhile, the stranger stared at the spot Stefan had previously stood in before taking off himself, though a lot slower than buzz lightning over there.<p>

I groaned at myself and my nosy ways. I need to stop overthinking this_. _It's nothing to do with me, so I may as well drop it._ At least it proved to be a good distraction from Damon for a while._ I groaned again and hit myself on the head in my own way of admonishing myself. _I'm starting to wish some other problem would arise so that I wouldn't have to think about him. _And luckily for me, something did. Or rather, someone.

"Hey, can I get a scotch on the rocks?" I lifted my head up to see Logan Fell stood before me.

"It's a little early to be drinking, don't you think?" I couldn't resist throwing in a smarmy comment. I don't like the guy one bit. He's no good for Jenna, but he's still managed to claw his way back into her heart.

"Well, I'm nervous; I have a date with your aunt. Your name's Brooke, right?"

"If that's what it says on my name tag, then yes." I muttered in a bored tone, just like I did to Tyler a few days ago. I handed him his drink and handed him his change.

"So Brooke, I know you and Jenna are really close. You got any tips for me, you know, so I can get back into her good books?" I scoffed at the hopeful look on his face, and I watched it fall as I smirked at him mockingly. _Is this guy for real?_

"Oh, I have plenty of tips. You're just not getting any of them. No offense, but I don't like you. At all. And I'm not buying this act that you're putting on. So, do whatever you want, it's not my problem. Just make sure it stays that way, because if it does become my problem... well, I'm sure you get the picture." He nodded in affirmation.

"Oh, I get the picture. Loud and clear." We stared at each other for a few moments until Jenna called out Logan's name. She sent me an accusing look, but I just smiled innocently. _He was asking for it._

I noticed that it was almost seven o'clock, so I finished my shift and drove home, smiling as one of my favourite songs began to play on the radio. It was Jermaine Stewart's 'We don't have to take our clothes off'. I know it's an old song now, but it's still a clasic. I wasn't even alive when it came out, but it's still my favourite nonetheless. I pulled up by the side of the house, locked my car and walked through the front door, but I became confused when Jeremy was stood at the top of the stairs, beckoning me over towards him.

"What's wron-" My question was muffled when he wrapped his hand around my mouth after I'd reached the top of the stairs. He pointed to the kitchen as he let me go.

"Stefan's finally opening upto Elena." He whispered quietly.

"He is? About Katherine?" He nodded and I raised an eyebrow. _Huh, that's a bit weird for mister secrecy over there._

"About time, Elena's been going out of her mind!" I whisper shouted, and smiled as Jeremy laughed. He's... being nice to me? I have tonnes of questions on my mind, but I don't want to ruin the moment.

"Well, I'm just going to hang out in my room for a while Jere, night." I went to walk away, deciding that it was probably best to leave whilst him and I are getting along. I don't know what's making him so happy, but I'm glad. It's been a while since he's been in a good mood. However, Jeremy caught my hand and turned me around.

"I want to say something; I need to clear the air. I know I've been a jackass to you, I've been one ever since you arrived. And, last week, when I said that about you not being able to..."

"It's fine Jeremy, it's all in the past, I'm not going to hold a grudge against you for it." He held up his hand at my words.

"No it isn't. I was completely out of line Brooke, and I'm sorry. I'm_ really_ sorry. I had no reason to talk to you like that. I don't even know why I said it. You and me use to get on really well, and I miss that." I watched as his eyes filled with guilt and regret, and I couldn't help but smile at his confession. _I feel exactly the same way._

"Apology accepted. Like I said, it's all in the past. And I'll let you in on a secret: I miss that too." We both grinned at each other.

"Okay, so lets agree to never fall out ever again, especially over things that don't matter." I held out my hand and shook his in agreement.

"Sure thing little cousin. Now I'm going to go and get some sleep. Just make sure you keep it down in there, okay?" I teased as I headed to my room, his laughter being the last sound I heard before I shut the door.

* * *

><p><em>Why did I agree to this?<em> I'm sat here with Elena and Caroline, wearing a pair of light blue denim shorts and a red and white polka dotted bikini top. Elena and I were listening to Caroline tell us what to do and what the rules were.

"No freebies, no pay you laters, we aren't running a charity here."

"No, we are not." Elena replied enthusiastically, whilst I just muttered a 'sure'. Caroline seemed annoyed at my lack of liveliness, but I'd turned up, hadn't I? What more does she want?

"Hey girls." Stefan approached the three of us and I smiled at him in relief. From what I've heard, he doesn't want to do this either.

"Stefan, hey! I am _so_ glad you're here!" He laughed at the look of dread on my face as Caroline shot me a sideways glare.

"Hey!" Elena greeted Stefan, and Caroline stood up with her hands on her hips.

"The event is called sexy suds, you know?" Soon enough the two of them left to wash some cars, which is kind of the point of being here, and just as I was about to leave Caroline grabbed my hand.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" I nodded hesitantly and she motioned for me to sit down at the table where she was minding the money.

"Look, I know I've been a bitch lately. I just want you to know It's nothing to do with you, it's just how I am. You'll learn to get used to it after I while." I had to laugh at the fact that she wasn't sugar-coating what she was saying, but she was giving it to me straight. I can admire that. Honesty is something that is rare to find in a person these days. It was then that I realised that she was trying to apologise, in her own little way of course.

"Well, thanks for telling me that. It's no problem anyway, I know how rough things have been for you lately." She tried to hide her grimace.

"Oh, I'm so over that! I'm fine now. Caroline Forbes soldiers on!" We giggled for a few seconds before Elena came over to us.

"We're out of towels and those shimmy things." Caroline stared into space for a moment before replying.

"I'll go get some more. Mind the money you two." Caroline walked away, leaving Elena and I in a comfortable silence until I decided to break it.

"So, I heard about your night with Stefan. How did it go?" Elena's features lit up like a light bulb, and a golden glow radiated off of her skin. I didn't really need her to tell me, it was written all over her. She's completely smitten with him; Stefan obviously trusts her now.

"It went good. Actually, it was amazing! We cooked dinner together, and he finally opened up to me, even about Katherine. I feel like I'm getting to know the real him now. I like the whole mystery thing that he has going on, but I want to know what he's really like, and I want him to be able to trust me. Which he now does." I smiled at her in pure happiness.

"That's great Lena! Guess what, whilst you were having your little date, Jeremy came and apologised to me." Elena's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Seriously?" I nodded.

"Yeah. He basically said that he was sorry for the way he's been acting recently, and then he said that he wants things to be the way they used to be." Elena smiled gleefully.

"Could today get any better?" My smile turned upside down. _Now she's tempted the Gods._

"Good one Lena, now things are going to get worse."

"How are they?"

"Well, you just tempted the Gods my friend. And they're very merciless." She scoffed and turned to the man standing before us.

"That'll be twenty dollars." I turned to face the customer and noticed that he was the guy from yesterday at the grill, the one who was convinced that he knew Stefan. What's he doing here?_ Maybe he's here to get his car washed, you dumbass._

"I saw you yesterday at the grill, you were speaking to a friend of mine." He looked at the two of us for a moment and I couldn't identify the look in his eyes.

"Well, I thought it was somebody I knew. Looks like I was wrong, it happens from time to time." He muttered, so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. He's lying; The signs are obvious. Fidgeting, lack of eye contact, tone of voice. He definitely knows something that we don't.

"Stefan Salvatore? He's my boyfriend. Are you sure you don't recognise him?" _Looks like detective Elena's out to play again. _I don't know if I can really blame her. He does have a lot of secrets. But sometimes, it's best just to leave secrets alone. You can't be hurt by what you don't know.

"It's probably just my mind playing tricks on me. An old man like me, it must be my age." He chuckled nervously. Elena sent me a look, asking me to help her out in someway.

"You don't look a day over twenty-one." He laughed at me and shook his head. Elena, however, wanted to get straight to the point and not beat around the bush like I was doing.

"Where did you think you've seen him before?"

"When I first moved to Mystic Falls, I stayed at the boarding house for a while. Stefan was just passing through to visit some of his relatives... his uncle I think, so I didn't really see him. But none of us knew he was here until the attack." Doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary. Well, except for the part about the attack.

"Attack?"

"His uncle was killed. Mauled by some kind of animal in the woods, I think they ruled it down to a mountain lion." I gripped the table. _But I've seen Stefan's uncle before, Zach. He's not dead. Was it another uncle? Or is there something seriously wrong about this situation? _I was getting the feeling that the old man wasn't telling us the full story.

"His uncle... Zach?" Elena spoke in a timid voice, slightly afraid of the answer. _She's not alone._

"No, Joseph."

"Is there anything else? I mean, we don't really know about this story." I asked, eager to hear more. Normally I stay out of other people's business, and I'm not normally this nosy. Elena and I are definitely related. _One day our Sherlock Holmes like ways are going to get us into trouble._

"Well, I'm not surprised. It happened years ago." Elena and I turned to look at each other before our eyes flashed back to the man's._ Years ago? Stefan's only seventeen, how many years ago would this be?_ And then I remembered something else this man said.

_You haven't aged a day._

A girl came over and said that her mom was wondering where he was, and then asked us if he'd been any trouble. He began to walk away, but neither me or Elena could let him go without hearing the rest of this story. We just couldn't. Even though there's a part of me that's telling me to run for the hills, there's a bigger part telling me that I need to know, and I think Elena feels the same way.

"Wait, Sir! Are you sure that the man that you saw, was... Stefan Salvatore? You're positive?" We caught up with him pretty fast and he looked at us with pity, but I didn't understand why.

"Yes. I remember this ring that he was wearing, that he still is. And his brother..." He clicked his fingers as he tried to remember the his name, and before I could stop myself the word tumbled out of my mouth.

"Damon?" I blurted, and the man smiled victoriously.

"Yes. Stefan and Damon. The Salvatore brothers."

"When was this?" Elena asked before I had the chance. However, I was not prepared for what I was about to hear. What was revealed. About Damon and Stefan.

"It was early June... 1953. Yes, June, 1953."

* * *

><p>I was stood by the gymnasium waiting impatiently for my cousin. Elena had gone to to talk to Stefan, but in the mean time I'd thrown on a navy blue tank top and was tapping my foot against the concrete at an unregular pace. I began to calm down when I saw Elena approaching me.<p>

"Did you find out anything?" Elena shook her head.

"No. I asked about his family and he said that they're spread out. I... I don't even... Ugh! I'm... I'm scared." My features softened as I realised how that Elena was really worried. Her skin tone had turned to a deathly pale, something that was very unusual for someone with an olive skin tone like herself.

Without thinking I pulled her into a hug and tried my best to comfort her. The problem is, I just don't know how. I'm scared too, but one of us has to be strong right now, and it looks like that's going to have to be me.

"It's going to be okay. Look, maybe we're overthinking this. Maybe that guy is actually just seeing things like he said, you never know, it could just be the ramblings of an old man." Despite everything I was saying, there wasn't a fibre in my body that believed a word of it. Not at all.

"No, he isn't Brooke. He was so sure. There is no way that he could be wrong." I pulled away and held her at arms length, searching her eyes for... well, I'm not sure what I was searching for. Maybe I just wanted to know that I wasn't the only one who was going out of her mind.

"I've got an idea. Why don't we see if we can get access to some old news reports. Maybe we can find something about Joseph Salvatore's death. There has to a logical explanation for this. There just has to be." Elena seemed to think it was a good idea, until we both realised that there was a problem with that plan. How are we going to get access to it?

"How are we going to get access?" My face fell in defeat. We could be onto something here. We could solve the mystery behind the Salvatore's.

Despite that voice in my head reminding me that some things are best left alone, I just didn't care anymore, and neither did Elena. Especially if there's something wrong about them. Something... _evil._ Damon's proved that theory. We don't know either of them very well. What if Stefan tries to hurt Elena? No, absolutely not. I won't allow it. We need to unvail their secret, and fast.

"Wait! I think I know how we can. I know somebody who has access, the problem is that we're going to have to convince him to give it to us." I was beyond ecstatic. _Elena always knows how to save the day. Hold on a second... what does she mean we're going to have to convince him?_

"Elena, why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like what you're about to say?"

* * *

><p>Turns out, I was right. <em>Kill. Me. Now.<em>

Logan Fell, what a conicidence. Here I am, standing here, being suffocated with the size of his ego. I'm trying not to let it show that I'd rather be anywhere but here by plastering a beaming smile onto my face, but all I really want to do is wipe that patronizing smirk off his face, and he knows it.

"Do you have any news stories on the fifty's? I've got some history homework and I'm really struggling with it."

"Well yeah, we do at the station, between the archives and the internet we have pretty much anything." He grinned smugly at me as I remained silent, letting Elena do all of the talking. _We need to know what's going on, they could be dangerous. Damon is a fine example of that.__  
><em>

"I'm heading to the station now, I can give you a lift if you'd like? But, does it really require the two of you? Last time I checked, Brooklyn wasn't in high school." My jaw tightened.

"Well _Logan_, history has always been one of my favourite subjects. I'm only trying to help my cousin with her homework, I'm sure even _you_ can understand that." I said snidely through gritted teeth. It's funny how the moment you begin to dislike someone, everything they do begins to annoy you. Even the fact that he was breathing near me was adding to my aggravated mood. He nodded, the smirk still present on his lips, and turned around as he headed towards his car.

Elena took off after Logan and I followed suit grudgingly. _Let the thrilling ride to the police station begin!_

* * *

><p>"So, what is it that you're looking for?"<em><br>_

"An incident from 1953, if it even happened at the old Salvatore boarding house." Logan's cell phone began to ring, and he told us that he had to go because there was a fire that he had to report on; I was beyond thankful. _Finally, he's gone. _The car ride had been the most dragging one in the entire history of long car rides. I'm never getting into a car with him again, I'd rather crawl my way to my destination. Unfortunately, Logan had no idea when to quit, and before he walked out of the door he had to ask us something - just because he's an idiot.

"Hey, can you put in a good word to Jenna for me?" I knew he wasn't doing this out of the kindness of his heart. He doesn't have one. Elena giggled and said she would, while I just rolled my eyes.

"So, what are we going to search for first?" She asked me.

"I don't know. Something along the lines of... Joseph Salvatore and animal attack." It came up with a link almost instantly.

The link led to a video. Franklin Fell was reporting at the Salvatore boarding house, stating that a brutal animal attack had ended in tradegy. My eyes watched every inch of the computer screen carefully; I couldn't afford to miss anything. The body was wheeled out of the house, and then something startled me, shaking me to my inner core.

_"Is that the nephew?"_

And it was. Except it wasn't just any ordinary nephew. This person, and to quote the elderly man's words... hadn't aged a day.

Stefan.

Stefan.

_Stefan?_

No. That's not humanly possible.

Somehow, mine and Elena's hands became interlocked, and we were gripping each other's as if it were our lifeline.

* * *

><p><em>"Hey, it's Jenna. I was hoping you could pick my phone up for me, I left it at the grill yesterday and I'm having to use Logan's right now. So if you have the time can you please drop in after you and Elena have finished at the police station and pick it up? Thanks Brooke, I'll see you soon!"<em>

She left that message about an hour ago. So here I was, at the grill, walking out with her phone. Shaking. And using all of my will power to hold myself together.

_Lets just get home. Just think about home. Where it's safe. Where you know what's real and what isn't._

My pace increased at the thought. I was power walking down a street whilst nightfall fell upon Mystic Falls, and I was almost on the verge of running. _Running for my life._

Nothing makes sense. _None of it_. Stefan was... And Damon... they're... I don't even know.

I'm not a believer. I think I've proven that after ignoring my father whine on and on about inhuman things, things that don't exist. Things that I don't believe in. People live, go through the stages of their lives, grow old, and die. That's the cycle of the human race, and it's not meant to differ. Everything that exists has a logical explanation, a scientific explanation. Everything makes sense in one form or another.

Not immortality.

_"Look, it's the original guest registary." " Is that Damon Salvatore? And Stefan Salvatore?"_

_"You haven't aged... a day."_

_Stefan's face flashing across the computer screen in 1953._

Not generated healing.

_"Oh my God, you're bleeding!"_

_"He missed. It's not my blood. See, I'm fine." He wiped his hand on his jersey and held it out to me and Elena as I inspected it with my eyes. He was right; Jeremy missed. That's the only explanation, because there is no way that Stefan's wound would have closed up almost instantly.  
><em>

There are rational explanations for _all_ of these things.

_"What is that?" Elena asked curiously as she looked at Caroline's neck._

_I slid down the cardigan covering her dress, revealing some more marks on her back. These marks seemed cleaner, and I could finally see what they were: _Bite marks.__

There just has to be. Because there is absolutely no way, that my father has been telling the truth for all of these years.

_"Sorry, it's just that when I woke up, I told people that it was a vampire that attacked me!"_

I stopped moving. That feeling had returned. The tingling sensation. The one I get around-

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's dangerous for a young woman to be walking the streets this late at night?" My eyes widened as the final clog turned in my head, and everything fell into place. The last piece to the jigsaw puzzle. They don't grow old. They don't get hurt. Girls bitten and bodies drained of blood. All of the secrets they're keeping.

_"Sorry, it's just that when I woke up, I told people that it was a vampire that attacked me."_

_"I told people that it was a vampire."_

_"A vampire."_

_"Vampire."_

_Oh my God._

My body went numb. I knew I should be running. Running as fast as I possibly can. As fast as I _humanly_ can. But my body seemed to have other ideas. My hand rose to my chest and clutched the point above my racing heart as I turned around, finding myself mere breaths away from Damon Salvatore, his cobalt blue eyes connecting with mine.

"What are you?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** Dun Dun Dunnnnn! Thought I'd leave you with a cliffhanger, though obviously unless you guys have been living under rocks, will pretty much get the jist on how his reply might go. I'm sorry for the lack of Damon in this chapter, I was upset too, but don't worry, the next chapter is Damon filled! :)_

_**Review!**_


	7. Lost Girls: Part 1

_**A/N:** I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who put this story in their favourites/alerts, and a huge thank you to **prettygal456, DarkAngel1864, Sonny13, aussie jemma **and** britt4565** for your wonderful reviews, they really light up my day!_

_Just to answer a few questions, **DarkAngel1864** yes this is where Elena asks Stefan the same question Brooke asks Damon, but obviously since this story isn't about those two you won't be seeing much of them but more of Brooke's reaction. And **aussie jemma**, you'll just have to wait and see ;)_

_Disclaimer: I **do not** own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

"Wouldn't you like to know." He winked at me as he smirked while I remained motionless, standing there with my hand over my heart, trying to work out why my head was spinning so fast. _It's cause he's a... I don't even want to think about the word._

"Wha... What are... you?" My voice trembled and my body began to shake. However, my frightened stance didn't cause his smirk to falter. No, if anything it grew even larger, almost taking over his entire face. Despite how much I wanted to move or run somewhere, anywhere other than here, I just couldn't; I felt paralysed. _What's the cause?_ I can name a few: Shock, trepidation, terror, fright, fear, panic... The list is endless.

"Well, you clearly already know the answer to that, otherwise your heart wouldn't be racing at the speed of light, and your blood wouldn't be pumping so fast." It barely even registered in my mind that he'd just said that he could hear the sound of my heart beating and my blood pumping, because my mind still refused to believe that he was...

_A vampire._

No. Absolutely not.

"_What are you_?" I repeated as my voice became harder and stronger. I swallowed deeply, trying to calm myself down as much as I could. But I just didn't know how. I keep saying that there must be some normal explanation for all of this. That Damon's just your run of the mill physcopath, who is a sick and disturbed person that needs some serious help mentally.

But every sign was pointing towards something that I didn't want to believe, but I know that inevitably, was the truth. I can deny it all I want, but the evidence is there. It all points to a species that was meant to be fictional, a story little kids got told on halloween to scare them to death, and a story that weirdly evolved into teenage romance novels and films.

_Vampires._

"_Brooklyn_, some secrets are best left unheard. After all, that's why they're called _secrets. _And you, little girl, are getting in too deep for your own good. Soon enough, you won't be able to pull yourself out of the early grave you're digging." Grinning like a Cheshire cat, he continued to avoid my question, and I was getting _very_ frustrated. Curling my hand into a fist it took every fibre of my being to stop myself from launching it straight at his smug face._  
><em>

"Who knows? You've already dug your grave, maybe tonight you'll lie in it." Unable to listen to his taunts anymore, I lost it. Without thinking rationally about what I was doing, my fist soared through the air and before it could make contact with his conceited features, his own grabbed mine at lightening speed and he used it to pull me up against his chest. There wasn't an ounce of space between us, and I whimpered as he tightened his hold on my wrist. If I tried to move, I knew he wouldn't hesitate in snapping it like a twig.

"My my Brooke, that was extremely rude of you." Damon's free hand levitated in the air, and his fingertips lightly trailed across my cheek. I involuntarily closed my eyes as his touch left a path of fire that burned through my skin, warming up my insides. My eyes flew open and I cursed at myself internally. _You should't be enjoying this! He's disgusting, disturbing and sick!_

"Answer my question!" I screamed desperately. Even though I knew the answer, I had to hear it come from him. Only then would I truly believe it. Suddenly, his grip on my wrist disappeared but we were still stood in the same positions, neither of us moving.

"You know, I've never really been a man of words. Actions always speak louder." My eyes narrowed as I tried to understand what he was saying. The cocky smirk still remained on his lips, but his eyes now possessed an evilness that I wasn't prepared for.

And I wasn't prepared for what happened next either.

His skin turned deathly pale. His eyes became pitch black. Red and purple veins appeared underneath his eyes, but most importantly, his teeth elongated into... _fangs._

He'd transformed into some kind of demon. Damon the demon. Any other time I probably would have laughed at the irony. But not today. He's a_ monster_. No. He's a _vampire._ _How can I deny the truth when it's standing right in front of me?_

I felt as if everything that I'd ever known was fake. None of it felt real. All these years that I'd treated my father terribly, and he'd been the only one to ever tell me the truth. He never lied to me. And then another thought hit me. _Did my mother know too? I... I can't handle this!_

My vision began to blur as the light around me started to fade. Damon's face returning to normal was the last thing I saw before my vision faded to black, and my body lost all of its energy. The last thing I was aware off was a pair of muscular arms catching me and lifting me off the ground, before I finally succumbed to the darkness that was calling out to me.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Damon's pov:<strong>_

Well, I wasn't expecting that reaction.

Staring at the girl who had collapsed in my arms and passed out, I cocked an eyebrow.

_Yep. I can't say that's ever happened before. Miss Brooklyn here is one of a kind. _I chuckled_.  
><em>

_So, what am I going to do with you? A few things come to mind. Some more tempting than others. _I inhaled deeply through my nose; her blood does smell exquisite. My teeth protruded at the thought of what it must taste like, probably luxurious and delicious. _No, definitely._

However, it looks like I wont be finding out. Not today at least. You see, Stefan being the saint he is, refuses to get off his high horse and give me my daylight ring. All because I killed Zach. _He asked for it._

Fortunately, my dear little brother has informed me that he will get it back from wherever the fuck he put it, and will return it to me. But, if I tap a vein from Brooke, I doubt I'll ever see it ever again. Besides, I've already had my fill from all of those stoners earlier.

Speaking off those stoners, one's at home right now. She just doesn't want to die, does she? Maneuvering the woman that was currently laying in my arms, a huge grin presented itself on my face. _Looks like we have another guest ready to join the party._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

_Where am I? And what the hell happened last night?_

Those were the first two thoughts that drifted into my head as I awoke. Dazedly sweeping my eyes around the room - or rather bedroom - I tried to remember what was happening. Not that I was having much success, I could barely remember my own name.

I was lying in a gigantic bed that donned black silk covers. There was a dark wooden oak flooring that matched the pannles on the walls, shelves filled with books all around the room, and lastly I noticed some light peaking through the window that was mostly blocked by long, cream curtains. It looked magnificent. Whilst the bedroom was tainted with dark colours, I found myself actually preferring it to my own room. There was something about this room that captured my attention, the old fashioned style was truly beautiful. It smelt really good too.

_Wait. That smell is familiar. It smells like..._

_Damon._

Last night's memories hit me like a tidal wave, but that wasn't all that frightened me.

_I wasn't alone._

Damon was on my left side, out like a light. His chest was falling up and down in a calm rhythm, and I noticed that he wasn't completely clothed, as the upper half of his body was on display. From what I can see... he definitely has an incredible body. He wasn't overly built like a body builder, but he was still very muscular and a little on the lean side. There are no words to describe how perfect he looks. _God comes to mind._

My hand then flew to my lips to muffle the sound of my scream. _He's a vampire. A monster. A demon, and God knows what else._

Cautiously, my hand slowly trailed down my neck and I held in a breath nervously. _What if he bit me? No, please no!_ I started to panic at the thought. Last night when I'd seen his... face, being the stupid idiot I am, I fainted at the sight. _How could you put yourself in danger like that! You foolish little girl! _I sighed loudly in relief and smiled as from what I could tell, no bite mark was present. My eyes shot to his form again.

_I need to get out of here. Now._

Stifling my breath, my hand reached out to slowly slide the covers off of my body, as my eyes stayed glued to Damon to make sure he wasn't awake. I creeped out of the side of the bed, feeling a little more confident. _I'm almost free. _I was only steps away from the door, and my pace began to increase. _Just a few more steps, three, two-_

_Creak._

I let out a startled gasp and my head swung around to check if Damon had awoken. But he wasn't even there. My hand reached up to cover my pounding heart, just like it had last night. _Where is he? _My body tightened up as I felt cool breath being blown on the side of my neck.

_He's behind me._

"So, are we just gonna stand here _all _day, or are you going to say something _Brooklyn?" _I could barely contain myself. I wanted to lash out and hurt him in some way, but I was painfully aware that he could... Kill me. Easily.

"_How... did you move so fast?_" My whisper was barely audiable, but I wouldn't be surprised if he heard it. God knows what kind of powers he must have. I felt his fingers brush away a few strands of hair covering my neck, and I could also feel the bile rising in my throat. _Please don't._

"Here's the 101 on vampires, sweetcheeks. Just the basics. I'm sure that if I told you all of them, you'd faint into my arms, _again_" I could picture him smirking behind my back and I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Hearing him say the word 'vampire' made this nightmare even more real.

"We have super speed, super strength, super hearing and blah blah blah. We're immortal, and we have a form of mind control called compulsion where we can make humans do _anything_ we want." He fingered the clasp of my necklace as I shivered at the information he'd just given me. Nothing to do with how he was softly caressing my skin. _Not at all_.

"What do you mean by... Anything you want?" He chuckled.

"_Anything. _Don't worry, I've not done it to you, you're 'protected'." He moved to stand in front of me, speaking sarcastically towards the end of his sentence. My features flushed as I realised he was still shirtless. It didn't take Damon long to notice me staring at his sculptered body.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Embarressed, I tore my eyes away from him, deciding to ask him another question. _The more I understand about him, the more of an advantage I'm at._

"What do you mean by protected?" My once hesitant voice began to grow stronger.

"Let me guess, next you'll be asking me how to_ kill_ a vampire. Well Brooklyn, you're not going to get those kind of answers from me, I'm not _that _stupid."

"Tell me. You said you'd give me the 101 on vampir-" I let out a small scream as I felt myself fly through the air and my back connect with the door to his bedroom roughly. A groan escaped my lips and a hand wrapped itself around my throat, forcing me to lift my eyes up to meet his.

"You're getting a little too confident for my liking. Stop thinking you can order me around, because if you didn't already notice, I'm the vampire in this situation, and you're the weak little human who I could kill with the click of my fingers. It's _that _easy. You should know better than to think you're stronger than me in anyform. Strength wise, speed wise or verbally, because I'll let you in on a secret: _You will lose._" He spat venomously and I felt pools of tears develop in my eyes at his admission. _I know that he is, and I don't care. I just want to go home!_

"_Please. Please, just let me go. I promise that I won't tell anybody._" I closed my eyes in a feeble attempt to stop the droplets of water from cascading down my cheeks.

"Hmm. Not yet. I'm having way too much fun with this." He released his death grip on me and pulled out his phone, motioning for me to follow him. I obeyed his orders, swallowing loudly as a tear slipped through my barriers and rolled down my cheek.

"Where are you Stefan? I'm trapped, at the house and I'm really bored and impatient, and I don't do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring, or trust me, heads will roll." He looked directly at me as he threatened both me and his brother, and I had to stop myself from turning the water works back on. _I just want to go home._

"Dammit! Don't get blood on the couch!" He rolled his eyes and I turned around, only to see Vickie laying there with her eyes closed, holding a blood stained cloth to her neck. I gasped and shot over to her as fast as I could.

"What did you do to her?" He merely raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes again.

"Had a snack. What? I was hungry." He said, smirking in satsfaction. I curled my lips up in disgust and pulled back the cloth, my mind not fully prepared for the sight. This... I was not prepared for.

"I got you good, didn't I?" Damon murmered, but I barely payed attention to it.

"Where's your bathroom?"

"Next door on your left. Why?" I didn't listen to the rest of his sentence, because I was out of the door and in the bathroom, the bile finally making its way up my throat and out of my mouth. My entire stomach was emptied, and I was left with the most disgusting after taste. I've always hated being sick, but then again, I can't imagine anyone enjoying it. _Except Damon_. I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

_I don't care what he says, I'm going home. Now._

Rising up from my place on the floor, I cringed at the sight in the toilet, flushed it, and ran like hell. I was almost there, almost at the door and I prayed to God that he'd just let me go. My prayers weren't answered. This time I was slightly more prepared for the impact as my body hit the wall, but thankfully, I collided with it softer than the last time.

"And just where do you plan on going, Brooke?" This time I didn't try to reign in the tears. They fell freely down my face, and I desperately searched Damon's eyes for something, anything that resembled human emotion. _Surely he could feel some sympathy, some guilt for how he was making me feel_. I saw him lean back slightly away from my face, but his grip on my arms didn't loosen.

"_Please. You're scaring me._" I begged desperately. His expression remained blank, and he leaned closer to me, his nose finding its way to the pulse point on my neck. He ran it along my skin languidly, leaving a pathway of fire in its wake. _How can he be so infuriating? Frightening me in one moment, and thrilling me the next_? He moved backwards and raised my hand, doing his signature parting. His kiss was soothing, yet magnetising and electrifying at the same time. The familiar spark flooded through me, but I didn't want to bask in it. Not this time. Not when I know what he is. His lips were lingering. Those lips. So soft, so sweet... but they've killed. They're stained with blood, and nothing will ever change that.

"It would be a good idea if you didn't go around the town blabbering about vampires_, Brooklyn_." He spoke monotonously, but the warning was there in his eyes. I nodded, slipped past him as fast as I could, dashed out of the door and didn't look back.

_I'm free._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Damon's pov:<strong>_

"Oh man! That shower was _so_ great!" Vicki said as she traipsed down the stairs and I rolled my eyes. _I'm already regretting giving her my blood. How can one girl talk so much? She's almost worse than Caroline, and that's saying something._

"Wait, what did you give me? My bite mark's gone." She observed as I leaned against the doorway.

"Some blood. You loved it." I wasn't even paying attention to what I was saying anymore. A certain human was consuming all of my thoughts. Earlier, for a moment, one tiny moment, I felt... remorseful. Guilty. Brooke was stood there, crying, and I felt something tug at my heart-strings. My _dead _heart. _Why did I feel like that?_ Then, it hit me._ I'm turning into Stefan, starting to care about peoples feelings. No. This has to stop, right now._

"Really? That's fucked up... Wait. What am I doing here? How did I even get here?"

"We met in the woods, I killed every single one of your friends, tried to kill you but for some reason your heart just wouldn't stop beating, and now because I'm stuck with you and there's nothing else left to do we're going to party until the sun goes down." She fell completely under my compulsion, and a smirk lit up her face.

"Okay! But first, can I have another hit? That blood was so good." I smirked. _Once a druggie, always a druggie. Or well, it is in her case._

"Only if I can." She jumped up and down squealing like a little girl before throwing her wrist at me. _At least she'll be more fun than Brooke. And at least I won't have to feel bad._

* * *

><p>After hours of drinking and dancing, the two of us decided to destroy Stefan's bedroom. It was fun for a while, until I noticed a picture of Katherine resting on Stefan's desk. She looked exactly like I remembered. Beautiful beyond belief, as always...<p>

_"Damon, stop!" Her infectious giggle just fueled my happiness, and I couldn't resist the temptation. My lips sucked sweetly on a place on her luxurious neck, and I smiled as she sighed contently. It was her favourite place to be kissed. Suddenly, I found myself on my back with her hovering over me, her fangs bared in my face as she smirked. My eyes widened, but I forced myself not to make it known to her. She truly is beautiful. But I cannot deny that in this form, she isn't the sweet angel I've grown to love._

_"Watch it Damon, we wouldn't want your brother to hear would we? Because then, these encounters would have to stop." I nodded, albeit slightly reluctantly. Stefan, the golden boy. Always the first choice. Katherine obviously noticed my jealousy._

_"Green isn't your best colour, Damon." She kissed my cheek and laughed when I turned my face to capture her lips with my own. I felt her purr vibrate againt my lips, and I moaned when her hand reached downwards to stroke my shaft; she giggled again._

_"Damon. My sweet, innocent Damon. I cannot wait to show you the real world. One day you and Stefan will join me, and we'll be together. Forever." I frowned slightly at the mention of my brother. Couldn't he find another woman? But I wouldn't voice my distress. Anything Katherine wants, I'll give to her._

_"Forever will never be long enough. But it's a start." Her face beamed at my declaration, and she leaned down once again._

_"Ready for another round, lover?"_

"Damon, are you listening to me?" I was brought out of my memory by Vicki's voice, and I clicked my jaw.

"Yes, your life is pathetic, I know." She threw her arms around my neck and I reluctantly wrapped mine around her waist as we swayed to a slow song. _She was alright before, but now she's really ticking me off. So, what shall I do with her? Hmm. How about I kill two birds with one stone?_

"I know! My life is horrible, it's easy for Matt. Everybody loves him, and he's going to get a football scholarship and then probably marry Elena. They'll have a white picket fence and gorgeous children, but when I think of my future there's nothing there." She started to cry as she pulled away from me, mascara all over her face and call me shallow, but it wasn't attractive in the slightest.

"You are so fucked up, you know that right? Then again, I can't really talk." She nodded and I lifted my hand to cup her cheek.

"Nobody loves you and you have no self esteem _whatsoever_." She looked slightly hurt at my words (as I'd intended) but she nodded in agreement once again.

"Well, don't worry. Doctor Damon knows what can help you." I rested my forehead against hers.

"What's that?" I pulled back.

"Death." I snapped her neck before she could even blink and watched as she dropped to the floor. Not only have I quietened her down for an hour or so, but it'll also piss off Stefan. Oh well._ I told him heads would roll._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** I've started to work on the next chapter already, so stay tuned for more updates! :)_

**_Review!_**


	8. Lost Girls: Part 2

_**A/N:** Hello lovelies! I hate starting on a bad note, but there is something I would like to discuss._

_First of all I would like to thank **sweetsweetsacrifice** for being my one and only reviewer. It was really disheartening to see how high my story traffic was and only getting one review. I don't want to be one of those authors that asks for reviews etc, but the truth is the more feedback I get the more I write, so if you don't review then you're only losing out yourself. I hope I don't sound horrible because I don't want to come across that way, but no author likes spending lots of their free time on a peice of work and then getting no response, because then it begins to seem pointless. I understand that it wasn't one of my best chapters, but feedback can always be negative as long as it's done in a tasteful way._

_On a lighter note, as a token of appreciation to **sweetsweetsacrifice**, this chapter is dedicated to her. Thank you for reviewing!_

_Disclaimer: I **do not** own The Vampire Diaries._

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><p><em><strong>Damon's pov:<strong>_

Life. God's most precious gift. Beautiful in a trillion different ways, meant to be treasured and cherished. Well, God obviously never met me.

There's this extreme rush you get when you hold someones fate in your hands; it's truly exilerating. But only for a second. Then, the guilt starts to set in, and you frown as you realise that you've probably just killed someones child, sibling, friend. Well, Stefan does. I'm actually the complete opposite.

Vicki Donavon is dead. Scientifically, at least. Soon enough she'll be up and around, draining people dry, and I'll be there to watch the fallout. See the look on Stefan, Brooke and Elena's faces - especially Stefan's. He asked for it. Perhaps he shouldn't have locked me up in the basement, starved me of my need for blood and stolen my daylight ring. Maybe then things would have turned out differently. _Nah, I still would have done it._

"What happened? We were dancing and then-" Vicki gurgled and I cut her off.

"I killed you." She shook her head and stared at me as if I'd just told her that there was a unicorn behind her with some weed. _Which in her mind, I wouldn't be surprised if there was._

"What?"

"You're dead. Don't worry, you're not the only one." She stared at me incredulously._  
><em>

"I'm dead? Are you on drugs or something?" I rolled my eyes at her, an action I find myself doing a lot in her presence. _She's so stupid.  
><em>

"Take a look in the mirror sweetheart. Anyway, yes, you have now joined the living dead so stop making a big deal out of it. Long story short, you drank my blood, I killed you and now you have to feed to complete the process, otherwise you won't be getting your platinum membership card."

"You're just wasted. Agh." She groaned as she picked herself up off the floor.

"Trust me, it's probably best if you're not out there all on your own." I sped in front of her as she moved to leave, causing her to fall back slightly.

"You're about to go Godzilla on everyones ass." She swayed to the side and tried to keep her balance.

"Look, today has been pretty awesome and all, but I just wanna go home."

"You're already completely out of it. You're craving blood and until you get it you're going to be very dangerous so you need to be careful." I said as I put fake sincerity into my tone. _I definitely picked a winner here. She's going to drive everyone nuts. _She grabbed her head as if she was having the worst hangover ever, when I remembered that drug addicts are the worst people to turn. All vampires are addicted to blood, obviously, so it's so much more amplified when a druggie is in transition. _Even better._

"Move!" She shoved past me and I smirked.

"See, you're already starting to crumble and fall apart."

"I'm going home now." She said in an malicious tone that was nowhere near up to par with mine, but was still pretty impressive. I held up my hands in a mock surrender, but she didn't seem to take any notice.

"Okay! Fine, I was only trying to help you. Actually, you know what? You should definitely go, it's probably the best idea you've ever had in your entire life, which is honestly a little pathetic but better late than never. In fact, another great idea would be to go and stop by your boyfriend Jeremy's house, see if you two can sort out your differences." She paused for a moment, and I knew she was going to run with my idea. _Perfect._

"Yeah, whatever." She waved me off but I had to get something else in there.

"Tell Brooke I said hello, and if you see Stefan tell him I'm expecting his call." My lips curled upwards into a smirk. _Damon Salvatore's back in the game._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

_Just Keep running as fast as you can._

The words were on a loop in my head, pushing me to go further, even though I was completely out of breath. It hadn't occured to me when I left the boarding house that sprinting through the forest wasn't a good idea. I just needed to get out of there as fast as I could. Flashes of Vicki lying there... with that... _bite, _just made me want to throw up again.

I gasped and my feet stopped moving. _I left her there, all alone - with him. _Shame rose up from the bottom of my stomach, and I forced myself to think of anything other than that. I don't think being sick again is a wise plan, especially since there's nothing left in my digestive system to puke up.

"Brooke?" A scream tore it's way through my throat but was muffled as someone from behind me used their hand to cease the sound. I thrashed around in the person's arms as I tried to escape from their hold, but it was unbreakable. _It's him. What if he's decided I'm not aloud to leave?_

"Shh, Brooke, calm down, It's me. Stefan." I halted. _Stefan. _He let go of me once he was satisfied that I wasn't going to try to run away, and when he did I rotated and callopsed into his waiting arms. I felt him stroke the back of my head as I began to let everything go, and just let it all out. He tried whispering soothing words like 'it was going to be okay', but I knew differently.

_It's not okay. It will never be okay. _

That was when I realised. _Stefan, is Damon's brother. Damon is a vampire, hence Stefan must be too. _The thought brought me back to this newfound reality, and I broke free from his gentle grasp.

"You're one too. You're a vampire, just like him." I pointed at him shakily as my chest heaved up and down heavily. Stefan quickly shook his head and moved a step forward, to which I stepped two backwards. He held up his hands and I thought about screaming for the hills.

"I promise that I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me, I'm not like Damon, Brooke." I scrunched up my nose as the tears carried on falling.

"You're his brother, how can you not be like him? All of those people who have been killed. It was you two, wasn't it?"

"No! No I'm not, Damon's the one who kills people and manipulates them, I don't do that! I'd never dream of doing that Brooke. None of those deaths were caused by me, they were all Damon's doing. Please, you need to trust me." I stared into his eyes and noticed him step forward once more, but this time I didn't move away. I kept my guard up though._ How do I know that I can trust him? How am I supposed to believe him?_

"What reason have you given me to trust you? How do I know that you're telling me the truth? Nothing makes sense anymore!" I yelled as I held my head in my hands, desperately trying to figure things out. _Everything's different now. It's as if my entire life has just exploded into tiny peices, and I have no idea how I'm meant to put them back together again. My dad was right, about all of this. _I felt Stefan pry my hands away from my face, and he lifted my head so that my eyes would lock onto his.

"I'll tell you as much as I can. Don't worry, you're not the only one in this." My face obviously showed my confusion, as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Elena reacted in pretty much the same way." My eyes bugged out of my head. _Elena knows? She must be so terrified. _Another tear rolled down my cheek at the thought.

"How about we walk back to your house so you can see her, and I'll tell you everything about vampires?" I stared at him for a few moments, unsure on how to respond._ Sure, I want answers, no, I need answers... but can I trust him? What if he's like Damon and he's just lying about it? What if he's not? What if he's genuinely telling the truth?_ I nodded hesitantly and a comforting smile presented itself on his features. I however, did not return it.

"Come on, it's this way." He motioned for me to walk along side of him as he managed to find a route that took us out of the woods and onto a road, one of which I was thankful for. _I doubt he'll try to attack me in public, so this place should be safe._

"Okay, first I'll start off with the more physical side. We can run extremely fast, completely unoticeable to the naked human eye. If you pay close attention when we're not running so fast, you'll probably see a blurred figure speeding past you, or feel a gust of wind sweep by you." I nodded so he knew that I understood.

"Our strength is like steel. No human could ever beat us in a fight, but there are ways around humans hurting us. We can hear things from a long way away, for instance, the family in there are watching Ratatouille." I gaped at him as he pointed to a house down the street.

"That's... Impressive." I commented, unable to think of any other words to describe that. He laughed at my reaction.

"And before you ask, I love garlic, holy water is drinkable, crucifixes are decorative, mirrors are a myth and yes, vampires do need to be invited into your house." My eyes involuntarily flashed to the blaring Sun, before returning back to his.

"Sunlight is obviously not an issue either then." He cringed slightly.

"It is, but there are a few vampires like myself and Damon who have rings to protect us." He raised his hand to show me the huge ring he sported twenty-four-seven, which brought me back to my morning with Damon, and how he impatiently rang Stefan asking him for his ring back. _That's why he was going so ape shit over it._

"That explains why he wants it back so badly. He's been calling you. Where is it?"

"I know, I've got it right here in my pocket. Soon enough I'm going to have to give it back." My steps screeched to a halt as I began to wildly object. _Why should he have it back, he doesn't deserve it!_

"No Stefan, you can't give it him back! Then he'll get away with everything! He'll only hurt more people. You haven't seen him Stefan, he's out for blood and revenge." Stefan nodded guiltily.

"I know he is, but that's all my doing. I'm the reason he's so pissed, and if I don't give him back his ring, he'll hurt me the only way he knows how. By hurting Elena. And you." I opened my mouth to say something, but decided against it. _He's a vampire. So why does he care so much? Aren't they meant to be cold, detatched, bloodthirsty monsters? Like Damon?_

"Damon mentioned something about mind control." I murmered, trying to forget about Damon and find out more about their species. _Damon, the guy I thought was hilarious and ridicuously hot, is actaully a killer. And we all thought Jenna was the worst for getting involved with the bad guys. Go figure._

"Yes. It's called compulsion, it can do lots of things and puts us at a great advantage. We can maniplate you into doing anything we want, we can influence your actions and put thoughts into your head, mess with your memories. Mine is nowhere near as good as Damon's though." _That sounds horrible. We can basically be whatever they want us to be, and they can control us and take away our free will. _We started walking again.

"What do you mean that yours isn't as good? Why?"

"This is what makes me different to Damon. Our feeding habits aren't the same. He, like most vampires feed on human blood. They take pleasure in draining someone dry and because that's the way our food chain works, it makes them grow stronger. I on the other hand drink from animals, so I guess you could call me a vegetarian of sorts. It doesn't make me as strong as him but it means I can survive, and at least my concious is clear." It took me quite a while to process his words. That's quite admirable._ Maybe he is different from his brother. Maybe I can trust him. But maybe he's just lying and I'm buying it. I'm so confused..._

"What else is there? Damon said something about how I was protected."

"Yeah, you are. You see your necklace, the one I gave you? You could smell a herb inside of it. It's called Vervain, and it's toxic to vampires. We can't touch it, injest it, and as long as you're wearing it or ingesting it then you're safe from mind control. And I know I probably shouldn't tell you this, but a stake to the heart is how we die." I nodded slowly and let out a sigh. _I thought I was ready for all of this. I wanted to know the truth and I still do, it's just a lot to take in. It's not every day you find out that what goes bump in the night is actually real._

"How old are you?" I blurted out. Damon said something about immortality too. Stefan looked stunned for a moment or two before he finally replied.

"I'm one hundred and sixty-one years old." My throat became dry at his admission. _Right. That's... Normal._

"I was frozen at the age of seventeen in eighteen-sixty-four." I cleared my throat, attempting to regain some saliva and before I could stop myself the words flew straight out of my lips.

"What about Damon?" I internally cursed at myself. _Why do you care? _Stefan's eyes narrowed slightly as he sent me an unreadable look._  
><em>

"Damon was turned at the same time. He's frozen at twenty-four." I nodded, and to get the spotlight away from me I tried to ask him another question.

"How did you... Become a vampire?" I asked hesitantly, hoping that he didn't think I was becoming too confident like Damon did. Stefan may be ticking all of the boxes that say he's trustworthy, but he's still one of them, and I don't really know what they're capable of. We may have spent the past ten minutes talking about it, but I've never experienced it. _Good thing too, wouldn't want to faint or throw up again._

"It's a long story. You remember the girl we've been talking about a lot in the last couple of weeks?"

"You mean Katherine?"

"Yeah. It started in eighteen-sixty-three. That's when we first met her, and it's when the two of us fell in love with her. Or so we thought. Our father had offered her a place at the boarding house after her parents died, and for me it was love at first sight. She was beautiful, like an angel. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one interested in her..."

"So was Damon." I filled in the gap as he paused; He nodded.

"Yes. Time started to pass and somehow both of us were infatuated with her. There was just something about her that stood out, she had this laugh that was so infectious that you had to laugh. It was unreal. Eventually mine and Damon's relationship started to break down. The two of us used to be inseperable, nothing could come between us. But as we both found out about who she truly was, she compelled the two of us to love her and to not tell anyone about what she really was. She wanted us all to be together forever. Didn't really turn out as she'd hoped though."

"I'm guessing that there's more to this story." My assumption was right.

"At the time there were lots of vampires in Mystic Falls, and people were starting to find out. The original founding families got together and decided that they needed to put a stop to the supernatural infestation, and a plan was concocted. They were going to drug them with Vervain and burn them in a church." I noticed that we were only a few streets away from Jenna's house, but I wasn't really paying attention to that. I was totally immersed in the tale he was telling me. _That must be the civilians Damon said were burned alive. Not exactly civilians, were they?_

"Meanwhile, without mine or Damon's knowledge Katherine had been feeding us her blood, compelling us to drink and forget. But the night finally came for the founders to take action, and before any of us knew it, all of the vampires had been killed, along with me and Damon. We woke up the next day, in transition."

"Wow." I breathed. We'd just made it back to the house and we were both stood outside. I had no idea what to say. Stefan thankfully took the lead.

"I know it's hard to trust me right now. I know you're probably going out of your mind as the panic and confusion take you over. But I want you to know that I'm here. If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to pick up the phone." Even though I knew I shouldn't, I felt my heart clench at his words.

"If it helps, I trust you more than Damon." We both shared a little laugh, and I raised an eyebrow at him as he turned to leave.

"Aren't you coming in? I'm sure your girlfriend wants to see you." I smiled teasingly, but it dropped when Stefan's features grew harder.

"I don't think she's my girlfriend anymore." I stood there, completely silent. _What can you actually say to that? _I was snapped out of dilemma when I noticed Stefan grow confused and then worried. He walked past me and into the house, and I was hot on his heels. _What's up with hi-_

I stopped breathing as I took in the sight. Matt was helping Jeremy get up off the floor and Elena was stood there, looking flustered_. _But what really startled me was the other person in the room.

Vicki.

The last time I saw her, she was passed out on a sofa with two holes in her neck. _How did she get here? _It was then that I noticed she was practically ripping her own hair out. My hand darted out to grab Stefan's arm.

"Stefan, the last time I saw her she was with Damon." He took one look at me before he walked straight over to Vicki and told Elena to back up when she moved towards her. Stefan lifted his hand to hold her face and told her to focus, saying that she was going to be fine, whilst I and all the others watched on. _What is going on? Stefan seems really worried. _My eyes swept over her form and I noticed that her bite mark had disappeared. _What the hell?_ Suddenly, a pair of arms flew around my body and latched onto me tightly.

"It's so good to see you. Where have you been? I was so worried." _Elena. _She whispered in my ear frantically and as we pulled back I could see tears in her eyes, making me want to cry too. I pulled her back into a hug and stroked her hair much like Stefan had done to me earlier. _I've had my turn to break down, but Elena needs me right now and I won't let her down. She's so upset, I wish I could take the pain away from her but we can't get everything we wish for, that much is evident now._

"I'll tell you later. I'm so sorry I worried you, I can expla-"

"Guys take her up to bed and shut the blinds, she's going to be okay." Mine and Elena's little moment was interrupted by Stefan's panicked voice, and we broke apart just in time to see Matt and Jeremy rushing her up the stairs.

"You know what's wrong with her." Elena stated rather than questioned and Stefan came closer to us, speaking no louder than a whisper.

"Brooke, what state was she in when you left the boarding house?" Elena gasped and covered her mouth as I tried to think of the nicest way possible to describe how Vicki looked, even though there wasn't a nice way to describe it.

"She was passed out and she'd been... _bitten._"

"You know?" Elena breathed and I nodded painfully. _I wish I didn't, I'd give anything to have this knowledge taken away from me. I'd give anything to be told it was a lie. But it's not. It's reality._

"She's transitioning." My whole world stopped spinning. I was beginning to think that things couldn't get any worse, but as always I'm proven wrong. _I shouldn't have left her, I could have stopped this._

"Transitioning into what?" Elena asked in a small voice, and this time I replied to her.

"_A vampire._" I reached out to hold her hand as a sign of comfort.

"_What?_"

"We were both at the boarding house and Vicki had bite marks. She was in really bad shape, and I left her. Damon gave me an opportunity to leave, and I left her there. Oh God. _He could've done it to me._" I whispered, albeit the last part slightly selfishly, but I didn't care. I'm just glad he let me leave. Elena shook her head.

"I would have killed him if he did." She sounded deadly serious, and I knew she meant it, but I also know that she wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"She hasn't completed her transformation yet guys." Stefan returned our attention to him, and Elena spoke in a worried tone of voice.

"Well, how does she do that?" Stefan stared at us with deep regret in his eyes. _He never told me this part of the story._

"She has to feed on human blood." Elena and I both tightened our grip on each others hands. _That's why._

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then she'll die."

* * *

><p>"I don't know what time her transition started so she may only have a few hours." Elena was busy pacing around the room whilst I was sat on the arm of the couch, tapping my foot on the floor at an irregular pace.<p>

"She's upstairs with him right now." She spat as she referred to Jeremy, causing my tapping to stop. _What if she tries to hurt him? _I felt my legs kick into gear and I stood up, running for the stairs but gasped when Stefan appeared in front of me and grabbed a hold of my arms. _Him and his brother really need to stop doing that._

"No Brooke, he's fine, she doesn't know what's happening to her yet so he's fine." I let out a breath I didn't even realise I'd been holding in and allowed him to walk me back into the living room where Elena was still pacing.

"So when is she going to know?"

"Right now she doesn't remember anything, a part of her is still human. The longer she's in transition for the more the memories will start to come back, but the clock's ticking and we don't know how long she has left." This time I was the one who paced around the room as Elena sat down, and I fisted handfulls of my hair, tugging at the seams gently.

"And as the memories return she'll know she has to make the choice." I muttered and Stefan nodded in conformation. I briefly began to think about what I'd do in this situation. Would I turn into one of them? Live forever as a vampire? No. Because there's a chance that I'd be like Damon - _Heartless._

"The same choice you made?" I closed my eyes to block out the thoughts that Elena's question created, but they were as clear as a summers day. Damon isn't surprising. Of course he'd choose to kill someone so he could be one of them. But Stefan? It made the small amount of trust he'd earned diminish.

"Vicki!" All of our heads snapped to the right at the sound of Matt's scream, and we all followed him out onto the front garden.

"She was fine and then she just freaked out!" My heart thumped uncontrollably in my chest. _She's gone._

"I'm going to go and look for her, call me if you hear anything!" Matt jumped into his car and drove off, whilst Stefan creeped closer to me and Elena.

"I can track her." Without missing a beat the two of us both screamed at him at the same time.

"Go!" He took of running at a human pace, and I looked up into the sky. It was turning black, meaning that Damon wouldn't be trapped in the boarding house anymore. And he could come and find us.

"Get inside guys. I don't like being out when it's getting dark. Who knows what's out there." Jeremy sent me a weird look, but Elena understood me completely. Despite knowing that he can already get in our house, I feel safer in there. At least it eases my concious a little bit.

* * *

><p>"You finished?" I nodded, looking down at my full plate of food. I couldn't stomach any of it. Elena and I still haven't had the chance to talk about things, since Jeremy's been stuck to us like superglue. We both silently agreed not to drag him into this, especially since he's worried about where his girlfriend is. We know exactly where she is - said girlfriend is turning into a vampire.<p>

"Maybe we should check in with Matt." Elena scoffed and handed my plate to him whilst I sat there, today's events beginning to really sink in. Today, I've found out what Damon Salvatore is really like. I've found out what the real deal is behind the Salvatore brothers mysterious facade.

It kills me to say this, and to quote Damon Salvatore of all people, but maybe some secrets are meant to be what they are - secrets. Untold, and left alone. At least that way there wouldn't be this throbbing in my chest.

"He'll call when he finds her." I was brought back to the conversation when Elena's snappy tone interrupted my thought pattern. _I'm not the only one in this situation, so is Elena and she's dealing with this better than I am. And I call myself an adult..._

"Well what are we supposed to do?"

"Wait, we wait. We're supposed to wait."

"And stay indoors, at all costs. No-one leaves this house." Elena nodded in agreement while Jeremy stared at the two of us dumb-founded. I rose from my seat and grabbed a tumbler out of the cupboard, pouring myself a glass of water and leaning against the sink. Jeremy finally stopped staring at the two of us like we were animals that had escaped from the zoo and caught my eyes with his.

"I don't know what's happening to her." _I do. She's turning into a vampire. _I ripped my eyes away from his, unable to look him dead in the eye without letting something slip. _This is so unfair. His parents just died and now his girlfriend might too? _I dropped my glass into the sink causing it to make a loud clanging noise, ignored the stares of my two younger cousins and whizzed out of the kitchen and into my bedroom, barely taking notice of the sound of the doorbell ringing.

I went into my personal bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, only to be greeted with a dreadful sight. I looked so run down. My make-up was smeared and my clothes were dirty. _Why hasn't anyone said anything? It's because of Vicki, they most likely haven't noticed. Thank God. _I splashed some water onto my face and wiped off my mascara lines, before throwing on some clean jeans and a clean tank-top, before falling onto my bed and gazing at the ceiling. _When did life get so messed up? Oh yeah, that's righ_t. _When I met Damon._

"Brooke, what is going on with you and Elena?" My heart skipped a beat and I shot up at the sound of Jeremy's voice. _For a moment there I thought that he was Damon._

"You could knock first you know, you scared me." I leaned back down and ran my hands over my face, trying to think of something normal, something happy. Anything other than Damon _freaking_ Salvatore.

"Answer my question Brooke! I have enough trouble worrying about Vicki, let alone what's going on with the two of you!" _That's right. And that's why you can't be involved in this Jere, why you can't know or ever find out._

"Nothing's going on." I spoke in a strong tone of voice, actually surprising myself. _I've always been a terrible liar._

"Oh really? Well then, why are you two communicating with your minds? It's like you're having a secret conversation. I know something is going on Brooke, don't think I forgot about how you looked when you came home earlier, not even mentioning where you'd been last night. And to top it all off, Elena just ordered me to go upstairs when Damon came knocking on our do-" He didn't even have time to finish his sentence as my body shot off of the bed and onto the landing.

"You got the whole life story, huh?" His velvety voice made it's way to my ears, and without a second thought I traipsed down the stairs. Well not so much as traipsed, more like ungracefully legged it. The first thing I did was make my way over to Elena and I moved to stand in front of her.

"Don't you dare go near her." He smirked and began to move towards me, and I felt Elena grab my hand and pull my backwards with her.

"Why? What are you going to do? I think we've already established who's in control here Brooke, and it's definitely not you." I swallowed as he leaned close to my face, mere breaths away from me... and my neck. I could feel the blood rushing there, and I knew he could hear it, most likely smell it too. He could drain me if he wanted to, or worse - _Turn me._

It didn't take him very long to notice either. Blue orbs shot down to my neck and he licked his lips, whilst I could barely supress the urge to curl my lips back in disgust. I flinched as he lifted his hand to delicately stroke my pulse point, and found myself able to breathe again when he leaned back and proceded to walk to the door. _I hope it hits him on the way out._

"Oh, tip for later you two: Be careful who you invite in the house." Since I can't seem to catch a break, the door didn't hit him on the way out, and Elena and I were left stood there, both of us petrified. I span around and we threw our arms around each other. I don't know how long we hugged for, but I heard Jeremy stroll down the stairs with his eyebrow raised.

"Oh yeah, of course nothing's going on."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Stefan's pov:<strong>_

Everything is just falling apart, and I have no idea how I'm meant to put the peices back together.

None of this would have happened if I hadn't returned to Mystic Falls; no-one's lives would be destroyed if I'd just stayed away. _No_. _I'm not going to blame myself for this._ Sure, part of it is my fault, but the real person behind this is Damon. It's been this way for years, me cleaning up his messes. I thought I'd gotten away from him, the last fifteen years have actually been enjoyable without his presence. But I'm here yet again, trying to fix the people he's broken - starting with Vicki.

"Vicki." I spoke in what I hoped was a soft and gentle tone, but if anything made her cry even more. _And I thought I'd always been good at comforting people. Then again, how do you comfort someone in this situation? You can't. It's impossible._

"Memories are coming back to me. What he is, what he told me, and I remember you. You were there at the hospital and at the rooftop." Her shoulders rocked and she brought her legs close to her chest as she swayed back and forth, whilst I moved towards her. _I can't imagine what's going through her mind right now. It was easier for me. But I wasn't the same person back then; I was like Damon._

"I'm so sorry. Damon had no right to do this to you." She inhaled air that she no longer needed.

"He said that I'm supposed to feed. But I don't want to."

"The problem is, you're starting to fade quickly. And then it'll all just be over if you don't. I don't want to push you into doing anything and I promise that the decision is completely up to you. But if you don't..."

"Then I'll be dead." She choked, her sobs echoing through the forest. I cautiously sat down next to her and held her hand in my own. She looked me in the eye with this wild, animalistic glint.

"I don't want this!"

"I know. It's going to be okay, you're going to be okay, I can help you."

"But is it better? Will I be better?" My silence said it all. _No, not really. It'll never really be better._

"I just... I want to go home! Will you take me home, please?" My heart tore into two at the sound of her whimpers, and I nodded, unable to refuse her request. I stood up and offered her my hand, only to hear a gunshot echo through the forest - and feel it tear through my skin. Groaning at the impact my hand reached up to rip it out, only to feel another strike me and my legs buckled, forcing my body to the ground. Blood began seeping out of my chest, and out of the corner of my eye I saw my attacker. _Is that... Logan Fell?_

I rolled onto my back, coughing up blood as I did so. My breath caught as I saw him raise a stake into the air. _This is how it ends. Why now? Why now when I've finally found a place to be happy? A person to love and a person to call my friend. Why?_

"No!" Another vampire ripped the stake out of his hands and drove his fangs into his neck, dropping him to the floor as he disposed of him. _Damon. _I screamed in agony as I felt him rip out the wooden bullets, but sighed in relief as my wounds began to heal._ I never thought I'd ever say this, but I'm thankful Damon was here. He just saved my life._

"It's wooden bullets, they know." They question was on the tip of my tongue, dying to be let out. Damon already knew though, as he wiped his mouth free of blood and smirked.

"If anyone gets to kill you it's going to be me. Haven't you figured that out yet, little brother? My ring." He held his hand out and I threw it at him, watching as he lazily smirked.

"No, Vicki!" My scream cut through the air like a knife as she drank from Logan's corpse, looking at me shamefully. She was gone within seconds, leaving my tortured self and my satisfied brother alone.

"Oops. You're lucky I turned her. I did contemplate doing so to Brooke." My anger flared up darkly from inside.

"Then why didn't you?" His smug, self absorbed smirk drifted away, and before I could question it he was by Logan, picking up something off the ground. Footsteps from the distance were getting closer rapidly, and I felt my shirt being tugged by Damon until I stood up and the two of us were out of there, delving deeper into the forest so that they wouldn't find us.

"You haven't answered my question, Damon." I held my chest tightly as I willed the pain to stop, but I was at no such look. I'm going to have to feed first, and there's no way that I'm doing that in front of Damon. He'd get a kick out of it.

"I have an answer Stefan. But you don't deserve to hear it. Come on old man, the boarding house is this way." He pointed in the opposite direction to the way I was heading, and I shook my head.

"I'm going to see Elena." He laughed and clapped his hands together in a mocking motion.

"Ah, at the Gilbert household. I was there only a few minutes ago, and trust me those girls are riled up! They were so rude to me." Without a second thought I pushed him into a tree and growled at him with as much darkness as I could muster.

"I don't want you near that house or any of it's residents, especially Elena!" He just scoffed and punched me in the exact place where one of the bullets had been fired into me. I fell to the ground once again, mumbling a series of curses as the pain intensified.

"You sound like Brooke, no wonder the two of you are friends. Oh wait, you aren't anymore, are you? And you're not dating Elena either. Bummer." He grinned and I managed to pick myself up off the floor.

"How can you go from being so nice one moment, like saving my life, to such a jackass the next, like you are now?"

"Why do you say that in such a surprised tone? You should know by now brother that I'm only out for myself. I don't feel, and that's not changing any time soon, so just suck it up and deal with it. I'm off anyway, going to go and find myself some sex deprived young woman for dinner. Don't wait up." He was gone before I had the chance to question him any further, and I slammed my fist against the tree I'd thrown him into. _There's something different about him, I know it. Why won't he just admit it? He's starting to care, and he knows it too._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

"Brooke, what happens if she does feed?" We were sat on the porch, waiting to hear any news about Vicki and hoping that Damon wouldn't show up again.

"Then she'll... be a vampire." I did nothing to change the grim tone of my voice. _I'm not going to hide anything from Elena, she's in this too. _I stared at her out of the corner of my eye, her facial expression showing that she was thinking similar thoughts to me. I took her hand and squeezed it gently, before standing up and brushing a peice of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm going to go and have a shower if that's okay with you. I need to try and wash this day away." She nodded and sent me a small smile that didn't reach her eyes before I walked into the house and retreated to my bathroom, taking some comfort in the feel of the water drowning away the past twenty-four hours.

It was only there for a second, but that second was beautiful. For just one second, today felt like it had never happened, like it was all just some terrible nightmare that I was waiting to wake up from. But then reality set in, and I realised that it wasn't just a nightmare. This is my life now. Living in fear of what's really out there, having no idea if it's going to come for you, hunt you down and rip you open - Literally.

Yes, the shower did bring me a moment of warmth. But now that it's gone, I feel even worse than I did before. Changing back into my clothes I walked back down the stairs, in search of something to drink - Something alcoholic specifically. It probably isn't the best idea to be drinking this late at night, but I know that tonight will be restless. Sleep will not come easy, if at all.

"_I can't be with you Stefan. I'm sorry. I just can't._" Elena's heart-broken voice reached my ears, stopping my quest to the kitchen. I swallowed as I tried to keep my own tears at bay when she opened the door and leaned against it heavily, her glassy eyes locking onto my own. I caught her before she could slide down to the floor and she latched onto me as if I was the only thing she had left in the world, which at the moment was most likely true. Her pained crys tore through me, almost sending my own tears over the edge.

_The alcohol could wait. Elena needs me now._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Review!<strong>_


	9. Haunted: Part 1

_**A/N:** Thanks to** abby102030405060708090, sweetsweetsacrifice, Darksoul, DarkAngel1864 **and** Dean Winchesters Baby Girl** for reviewing, and thanks to the people who put this story in their faourites, alerts!_

_Disclaimer: I **do not** own The Vampire Diaries. If I did, I'd be writing new scripts, not fan-fiction about it._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

It was... Strange, to say the least.

I rested my head on the palm of my right hand as I thought back to last night's dream, completely confused as to why I had those thoughts swirling around in my head as I slept.

I was stood in a building that seemed to resemble my first home. We'd moved out of there quickly after my mother died; my father was too pained, distraught and haunted by the memories of her. I on the other hand always thought differently. That house felt like a part of her, like her presence still lingered in the air, comforting me during such a tragic time.

But I wasn't confused as to why I was stood inside this house. I was confused as to why I was stood there, chatting and laughing away with the other person in the room.

My father.

We _never, _got along after my mother passed away. I can't remember one day after her death where the two of us went out and did something together, or had a light hearted conversation. Those kind of bonding moments between father and daughter never existed in my world.

But they did last night.

I can't even recall what we'd been talking about. All I remember was that Johnathon Gilbert was smiling, and it was directed towards _me_. There used to be a time where I'd have killed to be on the recieving end of one of his smiles. When I was little, he used to have a special one reserved only for me, and it made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Most of my friends had absent parents, and the ones who were lucky enough to have both parents together argued all of the time. My family used to be perfect, until the accident that changed three lives forever.

I tore myself away from that thought. _No use in living in the past, you might just miss the present._

Shaking my head I went back to what I was originally thinking about. _Me, and dad, getting along? That sounds too good to be true._

At least I dreamt about someone other than _him_. For the past week and a half, he's been consuming all of my thoughts during the day and all of my nightmares during the night. They're terrifying. Sometimes, they weren't even about me. They were about Elena, Jenna, Jeremy... The people I care about... Being _drained. _By _him. _It's hard enough being scared for my own life, but my family's? It tears me into two. Unfortunately, that's not the worst part.

Sometimes, before he... _bites me, _we get a little... _physical. _It'll start out great. It's beautiful, amazing and _oh so_ pleasurable. But eventually, things always take a turn for the worst. His teeth protrude, his eyes turn darker than the midnight sky, and he turns into a monster. A monster with only one thing on it's mind: Blood.

Maybe that's why my father was in my head last night. What if that's a sign? Like a cry for help. He was right, all along, yet I'd called him a liar and bolted out of the door the second I had the chance.

I slipped my hand into my jean pocket and retrieved my cell phone, scrolling down the list until I found 'Abomination' not too far from away the top of my contacts._ Should I call him? There's so many things I want to say to him, so many things I need to apologize for. _One finger hovered over the green light, and another over the red. _He can help. He knows what to do in this situation, he'd know how to handle this. But... What if he can't forgive me? What if he never wants to speak with me ever again?  
><em>

"Brooke! Are you slacking on the job? And is that a phone in your hands?" I gasped and jumped back, startled by the interruption to my internal dillema. I looked up through my eyelashes to see Keith stood beside me with his arms crossed and a look of fury written all over his face. I regretfully pressed decline, before tucking my cell phone back into my pocket. _Looks like I'll never find out. _I looked at Keith sheepishly.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't start with your apologies, I don't have time to waste speaking to you. Don't take a break today, in fact, don't take one for the entire week." My jaw hit the floor as I began to object.

"But Keith-"

"Actually, it's Sir to you _Brooklyn. _Do you want this job or not? Any more complaining or idleness from you, and I'll cut your salary." He exited the grill before I could so much as mutter _jerk, _and I was left behind the bar feeling astounded. _How can he do that? Ugh! He's the worst employer I've ever had.  
><em>

"Why such the long face? Don't tell me, it's because I'm here, isn't it?" My eyes widened and I took a step back from the bar. _Well, at first it wasn't, but now is an entirely different question.  
><em>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Damon's pov:<strong>_

"_We never, should have trusted that Logan._" Richard Lockwood hissed at his wife, whilst I sat across the other side of the grill, listening intently. _They know how to cover up. There was nothing, absolutely nothing about that Logan dick I drained last night. Not in the slightest._

"_Especially with the watch._" I smirked slightly. _Finally, now we're getting somewhere. _The old Gilbert pocket watch. There didn't seem to be anything special about it, it just looked like some old, outdated peice of crap that could probably make a fortune on _Antiques Roadshow. _And I'll admit, I have thought about flogging it to make some quick money, but I can just compel people to give me what I want, everything is free to vampires. _The beauty of mind contol._

No, I have better reasons than that. That pocket watch was made by Johnathon Gilbert, back in the day when I was... _human._ I shuddered at the thought. It was the device they used to locate the vampires in eighteen sixty-four, and by the looks of it, the present founders council are up for round two. There's no way they're getting it back. _Over my undead body. _They want it bad, which means that _I_ want it even badder. As if I'd be stupid enough to give them a device that could potentially lead to my death. _I'm not Stefan._

"_How many are we dealing with?_" His wife asked impatiently. You only need to brush by those two in the street to see how troubled their marriage is. You know how they say you can cut the tension with a knife? Well, this is one of those times.

"_The coroner thinks one. Something about the wound radius and the jaw pattern-_"

"_Are we in danger? I mean, if it found the watch then it knows we know. Could it come after us?_" Already thinking about it sweetheart. "_And should I even be saying it? Or is it a he, or a she-_"

"_If it has any historical knowledge of the town, then it'll know where the watch came from. So yes, we could very much be in danger._" I held back a laugh. Of course I know about this town's history, I've been alive for a century and a half. _I'm glad they're afraid. They should all be afraid. Because I will slaughter every single person in this town without a second thought. Anything to get Katherine back._

"_So, what do we do?_" I took a few moments to examine her. _Not exactly my type, I don't go for... O__ld. I like fresh, young meat. Preferbly with chocolate tainted hair, creamy skin, emerald green eyes... Wait. Katherine doesn't have green eyes or milky skin. Who the hell am I thinking of? _I snapped myself out of my thoughts, re-attaching my attention to Carol Lockwood.

If I want to find out more, I'm going to have to target her. She's all over the place at the minute and she's totally losing it. She'll spill easily. _Like taking candy from a baby._ And if that fails, there's always compulsion.

"_Just keep it quiet. We can't have the entire town finding out about this, we have to find it, and fast. Otherwise, it'll find us._" It's a bit too late for that. I tuned out of their conversation after that. _Looks like Carol and I will be having a good chat later, _I thought slyly.

"_Brooke! Are you slacking on the job? And is that a phone in your hands?_" Some moody brat interrupted my train of thought, causing my head to swing in the direction of the bar where the abrupt squawk had came from. _My my, is that Brooklyn Gilbert being given a good telling off? _An amused smirk spread across my face. _I haven't seen her in about a week. She's been avoiding me like the plague._

I can't say I'm surprised. After all, I did scare the living daylight out of her. _If you can't stand the heat then get out of the kitchen. _I stared at her for a few moments, unable to tear my eyes away from her. There was something about the way she looked when she was angry. I couldn't deny that it was hot. Such a turn on. The way she'd gnaw on her bottom lip, tugg on the roots of her mahogany locks, huff and puff in aggravation... It just made me want to slam her up against the bar and take her right here, even in front of Mystic Fall's locals.

Unfortunately, I doubt they'd be too impressed by the show, and I don't think Brooke would exactly be up for it either. _Oh well, a man can dream right?_

I chuckled before slipping out of the booth, walking straight up to the bar. Brooke seemed to be unaware of my presence, but that wasn't going to last for much longer.

"Why such the long face? Don't tell me, it's because I'm here, isn't it?" I watched as she hastily stepped back, trying to get as far away from me as possible. Her eyes turned cold but there was a slight tint of fear lying within them as she glared at me.

"It is now." She moved to walk away but I grabbed her hand, holding her in place. She clenched her jaw and immediately tried to pull out of my grip, but she stopped the second she realised it was pointless struggling to get free from my grasp.

"Let. Go. Of. Me. _Now_." She spat venomously as she started digging her nails into my flesh. I swept my tongue along my bottom lip and laughed at her pathetic attempt. _That doesn't hurt me in the slightest._

My thumb moved in a circular motion against her knuckles, and I momentarily felt her tense muscles relax. Something flowed between us, something indescribable. The only words I could link the feeling with were electricity and warmth... An emotion it seemed only she could evoke. I don't understand why this happens whenever we touch. Sometimes I feel it when we're not even physically connected, just in her presence.

The charge only lasted for a brief few seconds before she managed to yank her hand out of mine, glaring hotly into my blue orbs.

"Leave me alone."

"Hey, all I wanted was to order something. I think someone needs to take a chill pill." She rolled her eyes before flashing me the fakest smile she could muster.

"Of course. What would you like to order, you _jackass?_" My lips curved upwards into a grin at her snappy tone. _Geeze, someone's PMSing..._

"An espresso, _please._" The last word rolled of my tongue bitterly, causing her eyes to narrow before she went to follow through with my order.

"Oh, and hold off on the spit please! I'd rather not have saliva swirling around in my beverage thank you." I heard a pause in her movements before they restarting again, and she appeared in front of me holding my drink in her hand.

"Here's your espresso, that'll be-"

"Excuse me, I didn't order this." She placed a hand on her hip as she swallowed deeply, taking a deep breath before re-opening her mouth.

"What?" Her icey tone rang throughout the air. _Time to piss her off just a little more._

"I ordered a latte. _Latte, not an espresso!_" I stressed the words as my voice took on a mocking tone, patronising, almost as if I was talking to a child.

"Actually, you ordered an espresso-" I waved my finger in front of her face and tutted, ignoring the hard glare she threw my way.

"I don't think that employees are allowed to speak to customers in such a harsh fashion. You've already called me names, and now you're implying that I'm a liar? The customer's always right Brooklyn, you should know that. I'd like an apology please, unless you'd rather I filed a complaint against you? But, oh no, you wouldn't want that, not when your boss is already annoyed with your behaviour. You never know, any more slip ups and he might... Fire you." Her mouth opened wide enough to catch flies; she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Listen _Salvatore, _leave me the fuck alone. There is no way in hell that I'd ever apologize to _you. _I'd rather die." She spoke quietly, so that no-one around her other than me could hear. Her vicious tone didn't do anything to frighten me. _I'm Damon Salvatore, the man without feelings. You have to try a little harder than that to spook me honey._

"Well, that can be arranged." I spoke lowly, leaning in close so there was hardly any space left between us. Our expressions had the same emotion plastered over them: Fury. Hate. And finally, I grinned as I noticed a slight pinch of lust. _I knew she wanted me._

"So. About that apology then?" My breath fanned over her face as I whispered the words, but she didn't respond. I could hear her pulse rate rising and her blood rushing to her cheeks, creating a faint blush. She looked as if she was having some internal argument with herself. Over what, I can't be bothered to find out. I leaned away, watching as she blinked hastily with a satisfied smirk resting on the edge of my lips. _She so wants me._

"No? At least give me my correct order - I mean after all - it's the least you can do." She glared at me once again, something I find her doing a lot in my presence. She span around and within a minute or so she was back with a latte resting in her hands. She opened her mouth to say something but I held up my hand, stopping her before she could let the words fall out of her mouth.

"You know what, forget it, the service is _terrible _here." I didn't stop to see her reaction, speeding out of the door at human speed. Honestly, I would have _loved_ to have heard what she had to say - because I'm sure there's a truckload of things she wants to tell me - but I have bigger fish to fry right now. _Newbie vampire must be going off the rails. I bet Stefan's having a ball of fun with that._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

That infuriating, diabolical, revolting, arrogant, pompous-

"Earth to Brooke! What's wrong? You look a little... Agitated." Elena intruded on my internal rant by snapping her fingers in front of my face as her facial features sported a concerned expression.

"A little is an understatement." I muttered in a tired, worn down voice. _It's settled, I've found someone I hate more that my father. I never thought I'd see the day. _How could he do that to me? Why am I asking? This is Damon Salvatore, the reason he exists is to piss people off.

"What's wrong Brooke? You can tell me?" She stared into my eyes reassuringly, but I could see a twinge of something else. Dread. Like she was desperately hoping that it wasn't anything serious. My stomach twisted in every direction; I hate lying to Elena. But... She's already worried enough. She just found out that her boyfriend, no _ex-_boyfriend is a vampire. I can't dump all of my problems on her - It's not fair. I'm the older one, I'm meant to be the more mature one. I need to deal with this by myself. I can't be looking to her for comfort. If I cry on her shoulder, she won't on mine. She'll think that I can't handle this, and I can. Not well, but I can do it for her.

Besides, I shouldn't be letting _Damon Salvatore - _of _all _people - get to me. He doesn't get to mess with my mind or push me around. I shouldn't be afraid to step outside of my house because I have no idea if he's waiting for me, lurking in the shadows. Ready to pounce like a predator, and sink his teeth into the sensitive skin of my neck.

And I certainly shouldn't be having these moments where I feel... Attracted to him. No. They have to stop immediately.

"Just some whacko customer, it's nothing." I said. Elena sent me a look that screamed 'Sure, that's all it is'. _Lena always calls me out on my bullshit. _I've never managed to perfect lying, I think that the other week with Jeremy proves as much. Thankfully, I managed to distract Elena by pointing to the free space next to me on my bed when my straighteners bleeped, signalling that they were ready. I'm helping Elena get ready for the halloween party at school.

_Halloween. What a perfect time to become aware of the existance of vampires._

"Are you okay? You seem a bit... Jumpy." I asked as I separated her hair into two sections, sighing in relief as I the spotlight was diverted away from me. Her posture became frozen and stiff whilst her breath caught in her throat. I dropped the straighteners to the side and moved my hands to rub her shoulders soothingly.

"Elena, tell me." I whispered gently.

"I went to see Stefan earlier," I nodded and motioned for her to carry on, though in my mind I thought back to mine and Damon's encounter earlier. _Why couldn't I have bumped into the other Salvatore? Sure, he's not exactly in my good books, but at least he doesn't piss me off._

"I was only going to see how Vickiwas doing and to ask Stefan about how long it was going to be until she could return back home again. Jeremy missed school today because he wanted to go find her, but I can't let that carry on, his grades are bad enough already." Noticing her muscles beginning to relax, I picked my straighteners back up and began working on her hair.

"So I was there with Stefan and Vicki, and we were sitting at a table talking about her... _Thirst. _She was... hungry again, so Stefan went out to get her some animal blood to drink. Suddenly, she's texting Jeremy and I told her that it had to stop. I don't want her hurting him, and she's not in control of her instincts yet. She's not ready to see him, or anyone for that matter. All she talks about is _blood, _and how much she wants it. Then she..." Elena trailed off.

"Then she what?" I asked in a hard voice.

"Threatened me. She said that she was going to see Jeremy whenever she wants, and if I say otherwise she'll... Rip my head off." I paused briefly, before I realised that I was about to burn Elena's hair and began moving again, clearing my throat. _That little bitch. Yeah, I get that she has problems, it'd be weird if she wasn't flying off the handle right now after what she's going through. But you do not threaten anyone I care about and get away with it, and I agree with Elena, I don't want her near Jeremy either._

"Elena, don't listen to her. I'm sure Stefan wouldn't give her the chance, and besides, she'd have to get through me first." I said teasingly in an effort to lighten the mood, backcombing the roots of Elena's hair to give her some volume. I wafted a bit of hairspray and I was finished. I uncrossed my legs and set my feet on the ground, heading towards my bathroom until I was stopped mid stride when a hand latched onto mine. I rotated slowly, my eyes softening as I stared into Elena's russet tainted orbs that glistened with unshed tears.

"I don't want her to go through you. And I definitely don't want you throwing yourself into protection mode when danger strikes. You're like the big sister I never had and... I don't want to lose you." I reclaimed my former seat, brushing away the tears that slid down her cheeks as I smiled at her.

"You're not going to lose me, I promise. I know we haven't exactly... Talked much, about this... _Vampire thing._" I murmered, and she nodded in confirmation.

"But, whenever you want to talk about it, my room's only down the hall. I don't care if it's three in the morning, just hollar. I won't even get mad if you have to chuck a bucket of water over my head because I won't wake up." She cracked a smile before her expression became serious once again.

"That counts for you too. I know you're feeling the same as me right now, but just because you're the 'older' one you think that it's your responsibilty to be the strong one." My composure temporarily slipped, and I felt a warm moisture developing in the rims of my eyes. _Damn Elena for being so observant. _She smiled at me encouragingly.

"It's okay to cry about it. Trust me, it's all I seem to do at the moment." I nodded and took a deep breath as the droplets of water finally fell over the edge, cascading down my cheeks like a waterfall. I rested my head on her shoulder and sighed as she stroked my hair, giving myself a moment to just let go and pretend that everything is normal_. That this is all just some terrible nightmare. _

But as always, reality comes crashing down on you. I pulled back, and mine and Elena's positions switched back into place. _Why pretend that this is all fake? I only get disappointed when I remember that it's real. It's not imaginary, and it's not a nightmare I'm waiting to wake up from. This is as real as it gets._

"I'll tell you something Lena, it's a good job neither of us are wearing any make-up right now." I joked as I hastily wiped my tears away, relishing in the sound of Elena's giggle. I jumped up from my bed, darting into the bathroom and back into my bedroom with my make-up bag in hand.

"C'mon, we still need to finish getting you ready, and I have to at least look presentable. I've got another shift at the grill."

"But you've already been to work today." She commented confused.

"Yeah, well lets just say that my boss is an A class jerk. He rang me earlier telling me that I had to do tonight's shift, otherwise I can say goodbye to my job." I replied in a voice that almost sounded emotionless, but there was a twinge of annoyance laced into it. I quickly did Elena's foundation, moved on to applying subtle eyeshadow and then smeared on some bright, bold red lipstick._  
><em>

"What? Why would he do that?" Elena exclaimed.

"It's a _long_ story, one probably best not to get into." I informed her, rolling my eyes as Keith's orders played on a loop in my head. _'To make up for sleeping on the job, you're going to work tonights shift, no exceptions. And before you say anything else, just know that if you don't do this, you can consider yourself jobless.' _He's going to hold this over my head forever, isn't he? I only had my phone out! It was almost time for my break, and It's not like there were any customers waiting to be served! Well, until _he _came along. He better not have reported me that foolish, childish, heinous, deranged, physcotic-

"Brooke! You're zoning out again. Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

* * *

><p>"So, how do I look?" Elena asked when she waltzed into the kitchen, doing a twirl as she did so. I gave a whistle of approval whilst perching myself on the counter.<p>

"Amazing Lena! As always." We smiled at each other and Elena opened her mouth to say something, but closed it the second Jeremy walked into the room holding a phone close to his ear.

"You've got to call me Vick, I don't get it what's going on with you? Just... Just call me, please!" Jeremy spoke in a desperate tone of voice, putting me on edge. Elena said he was missing school to go and search for her, he must really be going out of his mind. But he can't keep doing this, not when she could potentially hurt him, or even worse - _kill _him. I won't allow it. The problem with Jeremy is that he doesn't like to be ordered around and told what to do. He's so stubborn. A trait both him and I seem to share.

"Hey, so do you want to hang out tonight? I'm going to the halloween dance, you can come with me. C'mon, it could be fun."

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea Elena. I would have offered to do something Jere but I'm working tonight..." I said as I realised what Elena was doing. Subtlety is the best way to go about this thing, otherwise he'll just get annoyed with us.

"Cool. Sounds fun, can't wait." He said as he poured himself a glass of water, trying to escape the room as quickly as he could.

"Look Jere, I know you're upset about Vicki..." Elena started, ignoring the glare I sent in her direction. _Elena, this is only going to tick him off! _I cringed a little as he stopped dead in his movements, praying to God that he wasn't going to blow up at us. _I've only just got back on good terms with him, I don't want anything to ruin that._

"I heard that she called Matt, but you can't be with her she needs to get better, the best thing you can do for her is let her go." His jaw tightened as he turned around, and I noticed that there was this weird glint in his eyes... Defiance. Oh boy... This isn't going to end well.

"What is that supposed to mean, let her go? Okay yeah, since us three are all such experts on letting people go right?" My stare switched from one cousin to the other, and I hopped off the counter top, laughing nervously at the two. I don't want it to look like I'm choosing sides, and I know that Jeremy's going to take this the wrong way but... He can't find out about what's really going on around here. It would break him.

"What I think Elena is trying to say is that, we all like our alone time, and that maybe it would be easier for Vicki to recover if she was... On her own." I said softly and moved to stand in front of him, hoping to convey something within him that would make him understand. _This really is for the best. He may not see it right now, he might never see it. But we're looking out for him._

"Why? Because that's how you deal with things? Alone. Well you know what Brooke, that's your way of coping. You two know that after mom and dad died I felt like crap, like nothing really even mattered crap. But then I'd begin to have these moments where everything began to feel okay, good even. And Vicki was in every single one of them. I don't care what either of you two think, because keeping me away from her isn't for the best." I turned to Elena when he left the room.

"Now I feel like a major bitch."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** Okay guys, I know there wasn't much action going on in this chapter, but there was some Damon and Brooke, and we also got a glimpse into how her and Elena are coping with the new knowledge of vampires._

**_Reviews=Happy Author._**

**_Happy Author=More Updates._**

**_More Updates=Happy Readers!_**


	10. Haunted: Part 2

_**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm back from my holiday! And with my return comes a new update, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to everyone who favourited/alerted, and thanks to **Dean Winchester's Baby Girl, sweetsweetsacrifice, amysmith2328, blondieluver612, Bookworm Angel **and** Marina1644509** (thanks for hoping I had a good time on holiday, it was great!) for reviewing, you all make my day!_

_Disclaimer: I **do not** own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Damon's pov:<em>**

"Let me guess... Daisy Buchanan. I love a good Gatsby look." Carol Lockwood giggled as I slipped into the seat her husband had been occupying mere moments before.

"I've met you before. Aren't you Caroline Forbes boyfriend?" I smiled innocently, though internally I was cursing at myself. _That girl really got on my nerves. I honestly have no idea why I chose her - out of all people - to use in my plans, when there is so much better out there on the market. I can think of one right now..._

"She had a school girl crush on me, it was sweet but I had to let her down easy. I've never been the type to go around breaking girls hearts, you see." Such a lie... But in my defense, I never promised them any commitment. It's not my fault that girls just fall for my dashing looks, suave charm and my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift.

"It's Damon, right?"

"Hmm, you remember."

"Well, you have a face that's hard to forget. What's your last name Damon?" I paused for a moment. Now normally, I would've replied instantly in my usual Damon like fashion. If it wasn't for the petite brunette traipsing through the doors to the grill, smiling politely at a few of her co-workers before heading through an archway that lead to somewhere in the back.

_She looks... Breathtaking._

Snap out of it Salvatore! You're starting to lose it. I blinked and shook myself out of my thoughts, returning back to the conversation I was having with Carol. _Don't get distracted by how good Brooke looks in those little jean shorts, there's a reason you're here talking to the mayor's wife, get on with it!_

"Salvatore." I informed her as I tried to regain my composure. _Since when does a girl you barely even know have this affect on you? No woman you've met in over a century has succeeded in making you feel anything Damon, only Katherine can. That's why you want her back. Keep your eyes on the prize._

"Salvatore. Are you any relation to Zach?"

"Zach's my uncle. How do you know Zach?" I leaned forward, my pupils dilating. She furrowed her brow and looked at me confusedly.

"Are you okay?" I tilted my head away from her and moved my body backwards, distracted once again by my own thoughts. _You're incredibly smart Damon, but sometimes you do have your dumb blonde moments._

"Yeah... I think I've just got something in my eye." _Could you say anything lamer than that? Honestly..._

"Well, I know Zach from the founders council..." I tuned out of what she was saying as my eyes fell to the bracelet she wore on her right wrist. _Of course she has some Vervain, she is the mayor's wife after all. What has been going on with you recently? _I decided to settle with the fact that I was getting closer each and every day to being reunited with Katherine. That's the reason I'm a little bent out of shape.

"You know that the Salvatore's were one of the original settlers." I nodded.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. You know, I had no idea that Zach was a member. I've recently moved back home and haven't really had the chance to meet many people in this town, or any of Zach's friends." I explained myself, watching as she hung on every word that came out of my mouth. _It's okay, you've had a little slip up it's completely natural, you've still got her right where you want her. _I rewound for a second. _Wait, since when do I panic about anything? Has Stefan been putting bunny blood in my drinks?_

"Will you tell him to return my calls? I've been leaving messages but he hasn't replied."

"Zach went out of town for a bit. But if it's about the Vervain..." That certainly captured her interest. Her smile faltered slightly.

"You know about the Vervain?" She asked before waving her hand in the air, signaling for a waitress to come over. _Trust me honey, I know lots of things..._

"Well I'm a Salvatore, of course I do." I heard a pair of feet trotting towards us followed closely by the scent of vanilla mixed with lavender. _Brooke._

"Mrs Lockwood, what would you like to order." I inclined my head towards her, smirking as I heard her heart skip a beat and her blood pump quicker through her veins. _Hmm, what lengths would I go to for a taste? _The question I really should be asking myself though is a taste of what? Her blood, or her body? Or _both?_ I'll go with the latter...

"The usual Brooke, would you like anything Damon?" _I want lots of things._ My eyes swept over Brooke's figure before they connected with her eyes, which you guessed it: Looked furious. _What else is new?_

"No thanks Carol, I'm fine."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

"I'll be back in just a moment." I said in a rushed voice, trying as quickly as possible to escape Damon and Carol's presence. _What the hell is he upto? Scratch that, I don't want to know. _I rolled my eyes as I looked over at the two of them, laughing as if they had no worries in the world. _I wish I could say the same for myself. _I honestly don't understand how anyone can buy this good Samaritan act he puts on display. I frowned at the voice inside of my head that whispered _you did._

"Here you go Mrs Lockwood, I'll just put it on your tab." She nodded her head distractedly, barely shooting a look in my direction as I placed her drink on the table. No, her gaze was stuck steadily onto Damon. _Of course, the ladies man of Mystic Falls. What everyone doesn't know however is that he's also the most dangerous predator in town._

I sent one last glare in his direction before spinning around on my heels, taking off towards the toilets. I cringed as I caught Keith walking out of the mens and dashed straight into the ladies before he had the chance to see me. _Knowing him this would count as 'slacking'._

I closed my eyes and leaned against the sink, wincing at the sharp burn erupting in my head. _I must be getting a headache. _I groaned as I realised that my bag containing some aspirin was behind the bar, but I didn't dwell on that long. I became preoccupied with something else entirely.

A startled scream escaped my lips as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, realising that I wasn't exactly alone. My hands unconsciously gripped onto the washbasin tightly, trying to slow down my racing heart that felt like it was going to rip itself out of my chest. Blue eyes twinkled at me, obviously amused by my reaction.

"What the hell? You're such an ass!" His signature smirk appeared and he raised an eyebrow as if to say '_You've only just realised?_'. I turned around, prepared to knock him down off his high horse until I became painfully aware that there wasn't much space left between the two of us_. _I leaned backwards as far as I could, but it was no use. He just moved even closer.

"What's wrong Brooke? You look a little... flushed." Unable to control myself, I lifted my eyes to stare into his. _They're just so blue. Like the ocean, or a clear, cloudless sky. _They're blindingly beautiful, which is a huge problem for me. Whenever I take a look into his eyes, I lose myself.

Damon grinned, placing his hands onto my hips and hoisting me onto the washbasin with me making no objections. I don't know why I wasn't telling him to stop, but right now I can't honestly say that I want him to. His hands slowly danced across my arms, moving upwards towards my face.

One hand tangled itself in my hair and pulled me closer to him, whilst the other chose to trace the outlines of my face. _What is he doing to me? _I felt myself get swept up in the moment, almost as if I had no control over my own body. I sighed as my eyelids began to carry a newfound weight as the charge of electricity pumping through my veins grew stronger. Without realising what I was doing, my own two hands began to move to make contact with him, but before they had the chance my eyes snapped open, watching as Damon's gaze fell to the arch of my neck.

Effectively breaking the spell.

I pushed him away_, _gasping as I realised my mistake. _What the hell were you doing? Unless... that wasn't really you. _My hand automatically reached for the necklace wrapped around my throat, checking if it was still there. I sighed in relief as I found that it was, but then my eyes widened. _So if he wasn't controlling you, that means that you genuinely-_

"Before you get your panties in a twist, no I didn't compel you, and yes: You want me." He finished with a satisfied, sly, smug smirk. My facial expression was a picture. Filled with sheer horror, disdain and last but not least: Revulsion.

"See, you're not even denying it." I can't bare looking at him. _I need to get out of here. Now. _A hand latched tightly onto my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. I clenched my jaw as he cocked an eyebrow, the smirk still present on his lips.

"Now where do you think you're going?" I couldn't breathe. My chest heaved as tears welled up in my eyes, causing Damon's smirk to falter slightly.

"_Please. _Just leave me alone." I whispered, my voice laced with desperation. Something in his stance changed but before I could question it a gush of air swept by me; his hand detached itself from my wrist and I was the only one left in the room.

What is it about this man who makes me feel like this? Not knowing whether I'm coming or going. Messing with my emotions. Making me feel two completely different things at once... I let out a strangled scream of frustration.

Nothing makes sense anymore. None of this. Life was so much easier when I was at Stanford. Granted, I wasn't happy, but it wasn't as difficult as this. Not to mention I'm miserable here, and this place was meant to be my escape. Ever since I found out about the existence of vampires, there isn't a day that goes by where I wish I could forget. Have it all wiped from my memory. Maybe then I'd have some peace.

I gasped at the sound of my ringtone echoing through the air, breaking me out of my depressing thoughts. Retrieving my cell from my pocket, I looked at the caller I.D to see that it was Elena.

"What's up Lena? Having fun?"

"_Not exactly. Brooke, do you know where Jeremy is? I'm worried and I need to find him before she does-_" I cut my panicked cousin off mid sentence, speaking in a breathy, broken tone of voice.

"What? No, I haven't seen him. Elena, tell me what's going on."

* * *

><p>I arrived at the Halloween party, my eyes sweeping the room at an irregular speed as I tried to find my cousin. Elena had told me that there was nothing going on and to stay at the grill, but there was no way I was going to keep working after her strange phone call. <em>Something's definitely up<em>. My search party didn't last very long though, as Elena literally crashed into me, almost knocking both of us to the floor.

"Brooke? What are you doing here? I told you to stay away!"

"Did you honestly think I was just going to serve drinks at the grill after that spooky phone conversation? Don't make me laugh!" She glared at me hotly, and for a moment I wondered if that was similar to the way I looked at Damon most of the time. _Why does your mind always switch back to him? You don't even like him, infact, you hate Damon! He isn't worth a second of your time, so stop thinking about him!_

In my haste to stop thinking about Damon, I realised I'd completely forgotten about Elena. Looking at her form, I noticed that her chocolate orbs were darting around wildly, her lips were quivering and her shoulders were shaking slightly. My eyes softened instantly and I placed my hands on her arms, hoping to comfort and calm her down.

"Lena, what's got you so worried? C'mon, why don't I take you home-"

"No!" She interrupted immediately, causing me to jump back and my hands to retract from her arms. I searched her eyes for answers, but all I could see was a wildness that I couldn't explain. Before I had chance to question her on it, her entire body froze, and she began to mumble something that was almost inaudible, but I managed to catch the end of her sentence.

"I can't let her get to Jeremy. She'll hurt him." My heart started to thump at an irregular pace, so loud that I could almost hear it over the high intensity of the music booming around us. _Jeremy's in danger? From who?_

"Let who hurt him? Elena? Elena!" Her eyes met mine and then suddenly she began to run.

"Elena!" She gave no signs of turning around, only moving further into the distance, where I could barely see her. _Whatever she knows it's definitely bad, and there's no way I'm just going to let her run straight into danger alone. _Sprinting in the direction I'd seen her go in, I moved as fast as I possibly could, trying my hardest to spot her in the crowd of teenagers. I slowed to a stop._ I can't see her; she's gone._

"Excuse me, have you seen a brunette in a nurse's outfit around here?" I asked as I approached a couple of young girls, who both shook their heads from left to right. I questioned every person I could, but no-one seemed to remember seeing her. I closed my eyes when they began to burn hot with water, on the verge of giving up. _I can't let anyone hurt her. She's like a sister to me._

"Brooke?" I span around, hoping to have found my foolish cousin, only to see her ex-boyfriend. And I'm not talking about Stefan.

"Matt! Oh thank God, have you seen Elena? Please tell me you have because I don't know what I'll do if you haven't-" He waved his hands in front of my face, attempting to cut off my chaotic rambles.

"Woah, slow down! Yeah I saw her, Stefan too. Why's everyone freaking out so much? I can't find anyone normal right now, you and Elena are going insane, and Vicki's going crazy, supposedly because Stefan keeps bothering her-" I was the one to interrupt him this time.

"_Vicki_? You've seen her? Where is she? What-"

"Why's everyone so interested in my sister? Yeah, I get that she needs help with her drug problem and everything, but no-one's supporting her right now! How is she meant to get better when no-one has any faith in her?" I tugged on the roots of my hair in aggravation and panic. _This is so not the time for me to be offering anyone advice, or listen to any of their problems! I need to get to Elena now!_

"Matt, please! Can you just answer my question? Where did you last see Vicki? _Please._" He gave me a weird look before giving in much to my delight, but also to my horror as he released the information I'd been begging him for.

"She's here somewhere. All I know is that she's looking for Jeremy. I don't know what's wrong with her Brooke. She's out of control." I felt a girl brush past me in a rush, heading for a fire exit that I assumed lead to the school's carpark.

It was Elena. I sighed in relief at the sight of her. _She's okay. _My sense of ease soon disappeared though. Vicki's at large, on the hunt for Jeremy and Elena's still on the prowl to find Mystic Fall's newest vampire. _I've got to stop her before she gets hurt; she isn't getting away again. _Returning my attention to Matt who looked at me in utter despair, I searched for something to say, anything to reassure him that everything was going to be okay.

"... I'm sorry." I left him and took off after Elena, completely regretting my choice of words. I was supposed to help him, make him believe that things would work out eventually. _But what's the use in lying to him? He's only going to be disappointed, because things aren't going to work out. And they're certainly not going to be okay._

* * *

><p>I was confused.<p>

I'd finally caught up with Elena and gotten into the carpark, to be greeted with the sight of Jeremy leaning heavily against a school bus, Elena breathing erratically as she tried to pick herself up from the ground and Stefan standing completely still. All of their eyes were on me entering the rather alarming scene that had been created by Vicki, but I didn't understand. _If this was all her doing, wouldn't she be here? She's nowhere in sight._ Stefan's body revived itself.

"Go! Get inside!" He roared, and both of my cousins sprang straight back to life. I however, stood there like a deer caught in the headlights. _Vicki didn't kill them, but there's blood all over Elena and Jeremy._

Elena realised that I wasn't moving and began to gesture for me to accompany her and Jeremy who were stood by the door, ready to re-enter the school. Her and Jere's eyes were pleading with me to go with them, and I decided to put their fear to rest. _You can ask questions later, just follow them._

That's what I planned on doing. But something in their eyes changed; they were no longer pleading with me - they were petrified.

Two screams reverberated through the air. The first one was voiced by Elena.

The second by me.

A hand latched onto my hair tightly, throwing my head backwards. I could feel strands of my brunette locks being pulled out of my head with incredible force.

I was locked in a vice like hold, unable to break free. It momentarily reminded me of Damon's strong hold, but there was a vast difference. Whilst it was impossible to escape his grip, he never held me like this. _His hold never hurt. But this does._ I couldn't breathe. My throat was dry, and my eyes were overtaken by fire, blurring my vision. Whimpers passed through my lips, and I could hear a huge commotion going on around me.

And then I screamed again at the feel of two elongated teeth sinking into the supple skin of my neck.

If I thought I was in pain before, then I had no idea how to describe whatever this was.

Blinding, torturous and excruciating were the first three words to come to mind. I pulled as hard as I could, attempting to break away. But I wasn't strong enough. My life force was being drained away, and I was fading fast. _Am I... Dying? Is this what death feels like?_ My eyelids fluttered closed, and my body stopped moving. It was hard to think, almost impossible. All I wanted in that moment was for Jeremy and Elena to be okay.

Something happened, and I felt myself being pulled out of my attacker's grasp, and placed into another pair of arms that held my form with ease. The pain dulled down slightly, and I felt a small sense of comfort. A hand brushed my hair out of my face, and for just a second, my eyes opened and connected with two dazzling blue ones that I couldn't help but find familiar. _Is it Damon? Or an angel? _I didn't have a clue what was going on. But I felt safe, and right now that's all that matters.

My eyes closed again when everything began to spin. Darkness was the only thing visible, and it was daunting. It was as if I was blind or paralyzed, and my emotions were spiraling out of control. _I think this is it. This must be what death feels like.  
><em>

I prayed to God that I was wrong. That I was just going into a deep sleep, and I'd wake up tomorrow morning. But that's wishful thinking. Me, optimistic? I used to be, once upon a time.

I leaned into the embrace of my blue eyed angel, searching for peace and tranquility. There are three things that I'm certain of: My name is Brooklyn Gilbert. I love my family, Elena, Jeremy and Jenna.

And I was really, really hoping that I wouldn't die.

* * *

><p>Fingers were being brushed lightly through my hair, gently untangling the knots. My body was leaning against another's, and I felt completely drained. My body barely contained any energy, so little that I was finding it difficult to just open my eyes. <em>What happened? Why do I feel so lifeless? <em>My throat was incredibly dry, and as I swallowed deeply I found myself falling into a coughing fit, desperately trying to inhale oxygen.

The hand stilled in my hair, but that was all. I heard a brief sigh of relief before the body I was leaning against shifted and slipped off of what I'm assuming was a mattress, and then the sound of water running from a tap drifted to my ears.

_Where am I? Why can't I open my eyes? Why can't I remember anything?_

And then like a flash, it came to me; and my eyes finally shot open.

_Following Elena into the carpark. Vicki... Biting me._

My body shuddered and my hand automatically darted to my neck, wincing as I traced the outline of two puncture marks over the once immaculate skin._ I thought I was going to die._

As my eyes focused and readjusted, I realised I was in my youngest cousin's room. Jeremy swiftly came into my line of vision, placing his hand gently on the back of my head as he slowly guided a glass of water to my lips. I welcomed the liquid hungrily, gulping it down like I'd been in the desert for months and on the brink of death, which I guess could be considered true. Not the whole being stranded in the desert thing, but nearly dying? I'm pretty sure that happened.

"Thanks." I whispered hoarsely, clearing my throat. Jeremy didn't even respond; he just sat there in utter silence, his eyes locked onto the floor.

"Jere? Wh-what's the matter?" I croaked, my throat still insanely sore and the puncture wound throbbing immensely. He looked into my eyes, and I felt myself fall backwards from my sitting up position and back onto the mattress at the intensity of sadness within his eyes. _I don't get it. I mean, from what I can tell, I'm fine. So why is he-_

All thoughts came crashing to a halt when Elena rushed into the room, her features a mirror image to her brother's. She immediately pushed herself inbetween the two of us, one of her hands slipping into mine and squeezing it gently, but her attention wasn't really focused on me.

"Do you understand what happened tonight?"

"No... I don't understand. I mean, I know... what I saw but... I don't understand." Jeremy's voice shook and tears glided down his cheeks at a rapid speed. My face contorted into misery and despair. _What did he see? Please don't tell me he saw Vicki in her... vampire form. It would crush him, knowing that the girl he's in love with isn't the same person he used to know._

"She was going to kill Brooke, Jeremy." Elena replied softly, her eyes flashing and connecting with mine before falling down to my neck that held what I'm sure was a horrifying sight.

"I know. But now she's dead, Vicki's dead." My entire body froze, instantly becoming numb. _She's... Dead? _Elena's apologies to Jeremy rang in my ears, but it was almost muted, drowned out in the background. The girl that I work with, the girl that Jeremy's in love with, the girl who's the older sister to Matt... She's _dead_?

I mean, sure, she tried to kill me. But it was out of her control. She wouldn't have intentionally tried to hurt me. Vicki Donovon may be a lot of things, but a murderer isn't one of them.

"Why does everybody have to die on me?" The broken whisper interrupted my thoughts; I watched with tear filled eyes as Elena held her brother whilst he sobbed in grief and pain, holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. Not only has his girlfriend just died, but now he knows about the secrets Elena and I had tried so hard to keep him in the dark about.

_Vampires._

* * *

><p>Jeremy cried himself to sleep, clutching mine and Elena's bodies murmuring the words 'don't leave me' continuously, as if on repeat. We were stood in the doorway of his bedroom staring at him, the two of us heart-broken over the grief Jeremy was currently facing. <em>He's lost so many people. His aunt (my mother), his parents and now Vicki. It just crushes me seeing how the world always knocks him down when things are finally starting to look up.<em>

I felt a small, soft, gentle hand delicately trace over the marks on my neck, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned to Elena, attempting to speak but was quickly cut off as her arms wrapped around my body.

"I was so worried about you Brooke. I told you not to come; I knew something bad was going to happen, I could just feel it." I sighed and returned her hug, hissing when she moved to the side slightly and accidently knocked her head against my bite mark. She jumped back as if she'd just been electrocuted and began muttering the words 'I'm so sorry' over and over, much like Jeremy had done minutes ago.

"Lena it's fi-" She disappeared in a flash, before quickly returning with a damp flannel in her hands. I took it and smiled slightly at her in thanks, brushing it gently across my neck, welcoming the soothing feeling that it brought me. _That feels so much better._

"It's my fault; I shouldn't have called you. If I hadn't startled you then you'd have carried on working, and you wouldn't have been looking for me. I'm such an idiot!" I rolled my eyes at her.

"Don't be so dramatic Elena, it isn't your fault. Chances are that if she hadn't bitten me, she'd have bitten you or Jeremy, and neither of those outcomes are any better than this one. I'm fine, see? It could be worse. _At least I'm still alive._" I whispered the last part, hoping that Elena hadn't heard it. She looked at me with an 'as if' expression on her face, so I decided to take the spotlight away from myself.

"You shouldn't be worrying about me right now, we have other problems." I inclined my head towards Jeremy, unsuccessfully hiding my grimace when I stretched my neck too far, almost ripping open the puncture marks._  
><em>

Thankfully, Elena didn't seem to notice, her attention now fully attached to her brother.

"I know, you're right. What are we going to do Brooke? I haven't seen him like this since our parents died. He's so... broken." I nodded in agreement. _I honestly have no idea how he's going to get over this. Elena and I are barely holding it together, and now he knows too. What if he spirals out of control? What if he turns back to drugs?_

Elena clicked her fingers, resulting in me sending her a weird look.

"You trust me, don't you?" I nodded, unsure where she was going with this.

"Give me a few minutes. I know how to fix this. I can make him better." She ran in the direction of the stairs, leaving me full of questions and anxiety. But if she knows how to help Jeremy, I'm not about to stop her.

"Brooke? Brooke!" Jeremy shot up from his bed, his eyes darting wildly around the room. He looked like a man at breaking point, desperate for a way out.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm here." I whispered, moving to his side immediately and resting his head in my lap much like he'd done for me not too long ago. _Oh the irony. Half an hour ago our positions were reversed._

"Don't leave me." His hand latched tightly onto my arm, and I was sure I'd have bruises from his grip in the morning. Not that I care, it's not as if this hurts more than the throbbing ache on my neck does. I felt like smacking myself in the head. _Oh boo hoo, so you almost got your neck ripped open, who cares? At least you're not dead._

"I won't, I promise." He seemed to calm down slightly at my words, but he was still incredibly tense. I rocked him back and forth, much like I used to do when we were younger. I remember one time in particular when he was six years old, and I was thirteen. He'd been outside playing with Elena, who suddenly ran into the kitchen crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that Jeremy had fallen over on the slabs in the garden and that he had a boo boo.

So I followed her outside and held him as he cried all of his tears away, gently swaying the two of us back and forth. When his sobs finally subsided, I put a plaster on the miniature sized cut (a Barbie one, which he wasn't very happy about as you can imagine), and soon enough he was back outside playing with Elena again.

I smiled sadly._ I miss those days. We were so innocent, so pure. We weren't aware of the corrupt, dangerous world. We were none the wiser, and happier than ever._

A gentle rapping on the door caught my attention and my head swung to the side, causing me to curse at my stupidity, _again. Every time! You have a sensitive neck if you hadn't already noticed! Stop messing with it!_

However, all thoughts drained away the second my eyes connected with a pair of striking blue ones, and to my surprise, so did the pain.

"What are you doing in here?" I whispered as I watched Damon enter the room. I didn't have the energy to argue with him, I was too tired for that.

"At Elena's request, I've kindly decided to offer my services. One time deal only." I opened my mouth, attempting to question him but the look in his eyes silenced me. They weren't their usual 'oh look at me, Mr fantastic'. No, they looked the complete opposite. Sullen, dark... _regretful?_

He motioned for me to move away from Jeremy, who hadn't even seemed to notice that there was someone else in the room. I hesitated. _Why should I? Just because he said Elena sent him and he isn't acting like his usual Damonesque self doesn't mean I can trust him. _But Elena's words flashed though my mind. _I know how to fix this. I can make him better._

Damon waited patiently for me to stand up, him quickly taking my place once I did so. He captured Jeremy's attention, looking deeply into his eyes. Now if I wasn't so worried about my cousin's mental state, I probably would've made some comment about how the way Damon was looking at Jeremy could be classed as romantic to a stranger who didn't know better. But I knew that wasn't really the case, and now wasn't the time to be facetious, not that there is ever a time to be.

And then he began to speak. And whilst there was no way I could fall under his spell - what with the Vervain I wear in my necklace and all - I still managed to become transfixed with the tone of his voice. It was hypnotic.

"Vicki left town, and she's not coming back. Don't look for her, and don't worry about her. You'll miss her, but you know it's for the best. Now go to sleep, you've had a long day." Jeremy's features turned blank as Damon's compulsion hit him full on, and then he turned to me, still under the trance.

"I'm going to sleep now; I've had a long day." I nodded and smiled at him, tears slipping down my face as he laid his head against his pillow and drifted off into what I was hoping were sweet dreams. Damon stood up, glanced at me for a few moments before attempting to move past me. I blocked him, throwing myself in front of the stairs when he tried to walk down them and he sent me an annoyed look.

"You know, some of us have things to do." I took no notice of his irritated tone and instead just rose an eyebrow.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" I rolled my eyes.

"Answer the question Damon. What was that? Why'd you do that?" His eyes locked onto mine and my hand gripped the banister tightly, afraid I'd get so lost in the blue pools that I'd accidently fall down the stairs._  
><em>

"I took his suffering away." He answered shortly. I had a feeling there was more, but I wasn't going to push him. There's no way he'd tell me anyway.

"Now, would you move so I can get back to my womanizing, bloodthirsty life? I've got women to seduce, people to drain." I bit the inside of my cheek, desperately trying to hold in the words that were dying to come out. _I'm really not in the mood._

I stepped aside, accidently brushing my chest against his as I did so. Our eyes connected and I took a step back, attempting to put some distance between us. He just shook his head and muttered something underneath his breath that I couldn't hear and moved towards the stairs. But that was when his words finally registered: _I took his suffering away._

"I wish I could forget." He paused, but didn't turn around to face me.

"Because then I wouldn't have to feel like this. It's tearing me apart. Ever since I moved to Mystic Falls and met you, things just got worse. This was meant to be an escape, a place to run away to and leave all of my problems behind. But now I wish I'd never came back here, never found out about any of this." My voice shook and tears trickled down my face slowly. I have no idea why I'm telling him this, I haven't even told Elena.

So why? It's not like he cares, and it's not like I trust him.

"Do you want me to make _you _forget?" He swiveled round, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at me with... _understanding?_ That isn't possible. We can't relate to each other about anything, God, we can't even stand each other. So why are we doing this? Why am I talking to him about things so personal that I wouldn't even tell Elena, and why is he still stood there listening to me?

I blinked a few times before returning my gaze to his.

"No." His eyes widened and they bored into mine as he stepped closer to me.

"Why? I think it's pretty obvious you wish you'd never found out about me and Stefan. And like you've already said, it's painful for you to think about. So why? Are you masochistic?" I rolled my eyes and wiped the tears away from my face, trying to stop a small smile from creeping onto my lips. _Only Damon would say something like that._

"No."

"Are we playing the guessing game or something? As I've said, I'm busy and I have an undead life to attend to-"

"If you shut up for a few seconds I might just have the chance to tell you!" He smirked slightly before raising an eyebrow.

"Alright then Brooklyn, you have my unwavering attention." I stared at him for a few moments, trying to figure out if telling him this was really a good idea. _This isn't a good idea. Damon doesn't give a crap. He's incapable of caring; he'll laugh at you or do something equally horrible._

However, I found myself conflicted. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, and I'm almost one hundred percent certain that one day when I happen to cross paths with him and he's in an aggravated mood, I'll get turned into another Vicki Donovan.

But despite all of this and everything he's done, I needed someone to talk to. Someone who wasn't Elena who I felt hesitant to drop my problems on.

"I want to forget, I do. More than anything. But... I know that Elena has feelings for your brother, feelings she can't just ignore. She won't want to forget, and I can't leave her to deal with this alone. It isn't fair, it isn't right and I won't do it. Because I love her." Warm, wet tears cascaded down my face again. _I think I've cried more in the past couple of weeks than I have in my entire life._

I glanced at Damon who appeared to be frozen in time. _I was right before. This was a bad idea. _I turned to leave, gasping and falling straight into his arms as I noticed that he'd sped in front of me. His hands held onto my shoulders, steadying me until I found my balance. My eyes closed as he trailed his hands down my arms before letting go completely, and I cursed at myself internally for missing the lack of contact.

"I used to feel the same way about Stefan. A _very, _long time ago..." He trailed off, and I felt it wise not to pressure him into saying anything else, just shooting a small smile in his direction. I didn't expect him to utter a word, let alone open up to me. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it instantly, unsure on how to respond to what he'd just told me. Thankfully, Damon decided to bring me out of my misery.

"Wait... Did we just have a civil conversation?" A laugh escaped my lips at his question, and after it died down it was replaced with a contented smile. _I'd forgotten how good it feels to laugh. It's so refreshing._

"Yeah, I think we did." I noticed his eyes shift towards my neck much like they had during our... _encounter _in the ladies toilets at the grill, but this time it was different. There was no hunger laced within his gaze this time.

"That, looks nasty." I grimaced, showing my distaste at the obvious pain it was inflicting on me. _It's sore and it stings like a freaking bitch._

"Yeah, it feels like it too. Thank you." I said softly and Damon narrowed his eyes so they were half closed.

"For what?"

"I don't remember much other than the pain... but I remember you being there. You carried me away from Vicki; I thought I was going to die. But you were there and you saved me, so I wanted to thank you for that. Don't get me wrong, I still hate your guts, but not as much as before." He chuckled at the latter part of my sentence, his lips curling upwards into his signature smirk.

"Don't worry, I was only doing my job. Angel Salvatore to the rescue!" I cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, just something you muttered earlier about me being an angel or something, it was no big deal." My eyes widened immediately as the memory of me being lifted into his arms and staring into his crystal blue eyes hit me. _I called him an angel? _Heat flooded my cheeks and I held my head in my hands in embarrassment, Damon's laughter doing absolutely nothing to help.

"Shut. Up. I thought I was going to die okay, cut me some slack!" I hissed.

"If that's what you need to believe to get through the night then that's fine with me." I opened my mouth to counter with something witty, but paused when he grabbed my hand and slipped a vial into it. I attempted to ignore the electricity that flowed through me whenever we touched and instead stared at him, my eyes quickly darting between him and the small container.

"What's this?" His fingertips gently brushed against my neck, before he dropped his hand to his side.

"Drink it, you'll feel better." A whoosh of air passed by me, and before I had chance to question Damon more I realised he was gone. I blinked a few times, my eyes still trained to the spot Damon had been a few seconds ago. _It's shocking how fast they can move._

I shook my head and clutched the vial in my right hand as I walked into my bathroom, dreading the sight I was about to greet as I stared into the mirror. _I look like a zombie. _I thought, flinching at the person the mirror reflected. I look nothing like myself. My hair's knotted together in lumps, my make-up's smeared all over the canvas of my face and my clothes are drenched in blood. _I think it's best if I take a shower..._

I peeled away my clothes, looking at them with distaste as they dropped to the floor. I ran my hands over my face after placing the mysterious vial on the side, deciding I'd take a look at whatever was inside it after I washed the day away.

Feeling refreshed and _a lot _cleaner than earlier, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body, sighing quietly as my hand wandered to my neck. _How does the pain stop? How long does it take to fade away?_ My eyes automatically flew to the wash basin where the vial was lying, Damon's words from before flashing through my head. _Drink it, you'll feel better._

My hand curled around the small container and slid off the lid, squinting my eyes in confusion at the red tainted liquid swirling around inside it. What did Damon give me? _Who cares? He said it will help you, that's all that matters. Don't you want to feel better?_

I hesitated briefly, before catching the reflection of Vicki's bite mark in the mirror. _Damon wasn't lying when he said it looked nasty, so why would he lie about this? If he wanted to hurt or kill you he would've done so a long time ago. C'mon, you'll feel so much better._

I took the plunge after I realised I was over thinking things and tipped my head backwards slightly, raising the vial to my lips. The rich, thick and smooth elixir touched my lips and flowed down my throat. It tasted incredible, revitalizing, almost like it was giving me newfound energy. I leaned against the sink heavily, staring at the empty vial in wonder.

_What was that? And why did you have such a strong reaction to it?  
><em>

I shot up and moved away from the sink, thankful that Damon wasn't here to watch my cheeks burn red this time._ I can't believe you just drank that. If Damon gives you something, it doesn't mean it's a smart idea to take it. You can't trust him, just because the two of you had one civil conversation does not mean that-_

My train of thought paused and I watched in fascination as my wound knitted itself together and closed. _It's... it's gone._

"Brooke?" I twirled around, my heart-beat gaining momentum. It slowed down the second I saw Elena standing in the doorway of my bathroom, clad in her pajamas.

"Hey, Elena..." I turned straight back to the mirror and fanned my hair out to fall over my shoulders and across my neck so that Elena wouldn't notice my missing wound. _God knows how I'd explain to Elena that Damon gave me some mysterious drug that made my bite mark disappear._

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?" She asked quietly, fiddling with the hemline of her t-shirt. I smiled slightly. _She actually came to me._

"Of course! Just let me get changed and I'll be straight in, okay?" She nodded, shot one last glance in my direction and exited the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

_It's impossible. _I examined myself in the mirror once again, astounded and mesmerized. _Stop questioning it and forget about it. Just be grateful you're alive, it could've been you six feet under today, along side Vicki. _I blinked at the painful reminder of my co-worker and Jeremy's girlfriend.

_Even though Jeremy doesn't remember what happened, things will never be the same again._

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><p><em><strong>AN:** Hey guys! I hope you liked that chapter, it was a little rough around the edges I'll admit but I hope it was satisfactory and that you enjoyed it._

**_Review! :D_**


	11. 162 Candles: Part 1

_**A/N:** **Important notice, please read - **Hey guys, I am so so so so sorry about how long it took to submit this chapter, I've been having major writer's block and I was trying to focus more on my other story. Nonetheless, I'm sorry, but hopefully this chapter can make up for it! :)_

_I've re-written previous chapters because I realised how terrible my writing first was when I started this story, so I thought I'd clean it up a bit. I haven't changed any of the events so you don't need to go and read them, but I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew so that if anyone does look back then they aren't confused.  
><em>

_Thanks to everyone who favourited/alerted, and thanks to **DavidFishwick, PrincessOfSilence, AmberRedRose, taisse, chalese, RegunLuvsTVD, DarkAngel1864, vampirekitty578, Jen.O **and** Azura Soul Reaver** for reviewing!_

_Disclaimer: I think you're all smart enough to realise that I **don't** own The Vampire Diaries._

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><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

"Did Vicki Donovan tell you that she was thinking about leaving town?" My fingers drummed against my leg anxiously as I tried to think of a suitable answer to give the sheriff. _Lying isn't exactly one of my strong points._

"Why would she? We aren't exactly close, in fact, I only communicate with her when I'm at work. If we pass each other in the street, we don't even acknowledge one another." I laughed nervously under her scrutinizing stare whilst cursing at myself internally. _Could you look anymore suspicous? Stop drawing unwanted attention to yourself! _I cleared my throat and tried to compose myself.

Elizabeth sent me a guarded look before she opened her mouth.

"Well, when was the last time you came into contact with Vicki?"

"She came round to the house to hang out with Jeremy. Young love, you know how it is." The smile that appeared on my face was forced, tight and not convincing in the slightest. _So much for retaining your composure, Brooke._

"Did she seem out of character? Was she behaving any differently to how she normally does?" She questioned as I sighed, my eyes darting towards the clock hanging above the door. _How much longer is this interrogation going to last?_

"No, she seemed completely normal."

"Did she display any signs of aggression or violence?" My mind flew back to the night of the halloween party, and the tragic events that occured. One stood out in particular. _The feeling of razor sharp teeth puncturing my neck and feasting on my blood. My life, fading away. _I suppressed the shudder attempting to ripple through my body.

"No. None that I can recall." She nodded.

"Thanks for your co-operation Brooke, I hope I haven't used up too much of your time." I stood up, shaking my head. _Finally, I can leave!_

"No problem Sheriff." I said quickly before swiftly exiting her office and making my way out of the police department. I let out a deep breath I'd unknowingly been holding in. _Thank God that's over, I was suffocating in there._

After steading my heart rate I walked out of the police station and into the car park, my eyes sweeping the area in search of my cousin. Elena had been interviewed before me and said she'd wait until I was finished so she could catch a lift with me, since Jenna and Jeremy had already left.

"Boo."

"Agh!" I span around as a scream tore its way through my lips, only to groan once I realised who had startled me. _Damon._

"You asshole!" I screeched vehemently. He held up his hands in mock defeat, before placing a finger to his lips.

"Shh, I don't think it's a good idea to scream when you're stood right outside of a police station." I rolled my eyes in exasperation before my eyes involuntarily studied his attire and appearance, first with admiration, and then irritation. _Why does he have to look so hot all of the time? It makes it so much harder to hate him. _I dragged my mind out of the gutter and glared into his sterling blue eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Just doing my part for the community. You know how much I love being an upstanding citizen." I snorted at him.

"Upstanding citizen my ass." I turned on my heel to leave, only to gasp as I walked straight into Damon's chest. I reversed backwards a few steps in order to put some distance inbetween myself and him, but he sauntered forwards, backing me up against a wall. I narrowed my eyes at him whilst he smiled innocently and lifted his hand to twirl a strand of my hair around his index finger.

"_Why are you being so mean to me_?" He whined in a high pitched voice.

"Because I don't like you." I stated, moving my hands up to his chest as I tried to push him away. I curled my lip up in frustration when he refused to move and lent my head back against the wall, deciding that wasting my effort was pointless.

"But we were getting along _so well_ a few nights ago." He said with a sarcastic smile on his face. I avoided his eyes as his comment echoed through my mind, choosing instead to lock my gaze to the ground.

"What, no smart-ass comment to whip back at me with? Damn, you're no fun today." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"I almost died, and whether I like to admit it or not, you did save me. The only reason I was being nice to you was because you helped me and Jeremy."

"And you're sure that's the only reason?" Damon inquired, leaning closer towards me, leaving almost no room between our bodies.

"Yes." I breathed. He rose an eyebrow and curled his lips upwards into his signature smirk simultaneously, before stepping backwards and putting some distance between us. He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, choosing instead to shoot me a knowing look.

"Well, this has been _wonderful, _but I'm afraid I'll have to seduce you later. I have myself a hot date with the sheriff; don't wait up." I rolled my eyes as he turned towards the entrance of the police station, but it was only then that I realised he'd been holding a small package in his hands. _Why would he be giving that to the sheriff?_ I pushed myself away from the wall and caught up with him. _I doubt Damon's the new delivery man, no, there must be something important in that box._

"What are you up to? What's in the box?" I pointed towards the object in question, my curiosity growing larger.

"That's for me to know and you to dot, dot dot." He quipped as he brushed by me and waltzed into the police station. I would've followed, but Elizabeth Forbes's office was the last place I wanted to be right now. I huffed and crossed my arms as I turned around. _There's nothing worse than getting outwitted b_y _Damon Salvatore._

Growling quietly I made my way over to my car, unlocking it and sliding into the driver's seat. I switched on the radio as I waited for my cousin, hoping that some music would put me in a better mood. Wanted Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi blasted through my speakers and I turned it off immediately, groaning in annoyance. My ex-boyfriend Noah listened to that song religiously when we were dating, and it drove me insane. _It's a shame; I used to love that song, he just wore it out._

Tilting my head upwards I looked through the windshield, smiling as I noticed Elena exiting the station. _It's about time. _My smile dropped however as I watched Stefan step in front of her, and the two began to talk to each other. I rolled down the window, trying to see if I could eavesdrop on their conversation; but unfortunately, I don't have enhanced hearing like the Salvatore's do, so I was unable to listen in on the exchange.

Elena shook her head at something Stefan said and made her way over to my car whilst Stefan watched her retreating form with a somber expression. The look on his face tugged at my heart-strings, but at the same time I felt it was for the best. _He's better than Damon, that much is blindingly obvious, but Elena doesn't need this in her life. If it's stressing her out, staying away from him is the right thing to do._

"Hey Brooke." She said as she entered my car.

"Hey... Are you alright?" She nodded, but instead of looking into my eyes as she did so, her eyes strayed to the spot she was standing moments ago with Stefan, her features unreadable. I sighed and turned on the engine as I vacated the parking lot, knowing that the ride home was going to be spent in complete silence.

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><p><strong><em>Damon's pov:<em>**

I frowned slightly as I stepped out of Elizabeth Forbes office. The Vervain was a brilliant idea, but it's not enough. Sure, I've partially gained her trust, but I need to gain _all _of it.

"_We have to consider that the vampire may be walking around during the day, right in front of us._"

"_We're now looking at anyone new to town since the deaths began. That should turn up a suspect or two._"

Albeit, my reaction was slightly questionable, but I can easily turn this around.

All I need is a decoy; a fall guy. Someone whose only just arrived in town and therefore looks almost as suspicious as me and Stefan... Like Lexi. I smirked triumpthantly.

Convincing sheriff Forbes that Lexi is the town's vampire issue will be like taking candy from a baby, and once that's done I can get back to releasing Katherine from the tomb. The thought echoed through my head and I paused in my steps momentarily. _Katherine. You haven't thought about her in weeks, what the hell is wrong with you? Isn't she the reason you returned to this God-forsaken town in the first place?_

I clenched my jaw as I made my way through the streets of Mystic Falls. I'll admit, thinking about Katherine hasn't exactly been my top priority as of late, but that's about to change. _The only person who has ever loved you is counting on you to set her free Damon, she needs you, and you need her._

I tried to picture her in my mind as a reminder of what we used to be, how she made me feel like I actually mattered and had a purpose in the world. _You'll get her back soon, and everything will work out the way you always wanted it to: you and Katherine, together for eternity, and this time it'll be Stefan who gets to bite the dust._

Whilst traipsing through Mystic Falls, I started to think of a way I could imply that Lexi was the vampire Elizabeth was looking for. A flash of blonde hair in the corner of my eye had me turning around, causing a sly smirk to spread across my lips.

_Why do the work when someone else can do it for you?_

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><p><strong><em>Brooke's pov:<em>**

I'd retreated to my bedroom after Elena and I had returned home, too exhausted to join the pity party her and Jenna were having in the living room. Instead, I decided that catching up on sleep was a much better idea. I set my alarm clock to go off at four o'clock, so that I'd have enough time to get ready for work. Keith was insisting on me doing more shifts to compensate for my 'slacking off', and I knew that arguing with him was pointless - so I agreed.

A light rapping against my door woke me from my slumber, and I spoke out in a hoarse voice.

"Come in." The person on the other side of the door turned the handle and stepped into my room, smiling at me softly.

"I didn't wake you did I?" I nodded as my eyes flashed to my alarm clock, noticing that it was five to four.

"It's okay Bonnie, I was just about to wake up anyway." I threw the covers off me, stepped towards the window and opened the curtains, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the sudden intrusion of light. I swiveled around, raising an eyebrow in confusion as Bonnie motioned towards my door. When I remained still, Bonnie rolled her eyes and walked over to me, grabbed my arm and starting pulling me towards the door.

"Bonnie, what are you doing?" I questioned as she dragged me down the hallway.

"There's something that I want to show you and Elena." Her response only gave me more questions but it peeked my curiousty, so I decided to just wait and see why my cousin's best friend was so flustered. We entered her room and Bonnie wasted no time tugging the covers away from a rather sulky Elena.

"Why haven't you called me back?" I silently watched the exchange between the two as I crept under the covers next to Elena. I tuned out of what they were saying, and just decided to watch the two of them interact.

Elena and Bonnie are so close, always have been, even when they were little kids. I used to have a friend I was that close to, someone that I could share all of my secrets with, someone I could trust, someone I could count on. At least, I _thought_ I could.

Noah, the only long term boyfriend I ever really had, came between us. Eva (my former friend) introduced the us, and at first I wasn't really interested. But he was persistant, so eventually I caved and said yes to going on a date with him.

At the time, he was sweet, cute, and he knew how to make me laugh. So I continued to go on dates with him, and after so long we became exclusive. It was then that Eva told me that she'd always had a thing for him. I was confused, a little annoyed, but also understanding. Confused, because I'd honestly never noticed that she had feelings for him. Annoyed, because this guy was now my boyfriend, and if she'd told me before I'd started dating him then it would've saved everyone a lot of heart-ache. And understanding, because I thought he was great, so I could understand why she'd fallen for him too.

So I asked her whether she wanted me to break it off, and she said no, stating that whilst her feelings are still there, she'd happily try to move on if it meant that I could stay with Noah. She seemed sure of herself, so I accepted it and we never spoke of it after that.

Until I caught them in bed together.

That, effectively ended not only my relationship with Noah, but with Eva too.

My eyes returned to Elena and Bonnie. Eva obviously wasn't a true friend, and it's clear that our friendship meant nothing to her. But, Bonnie and Elena, their bond is iron clad; I don't think anything or anyone could ever come between those two.

"Are you two ready?" I was torn away from my thoughts to see Bonnie sitting in front of us, ripping one of Elena's pillows, causing the feathers to fall onto the covers.

"Hey!" Elena protested, but the damage was already done. I snorted as Bonnie ignored her.

"Be patient." I nodded while Elena casted a glance in my direction. I shrugged, showing her that I was just as confused as she was.

"I need to swear the two of you to secrecy." Bonnie said.

"It's kind of a bad week for that kind of stuff." I nudged Elena, sending her a look before I turned towards Bonnie. Whatever she's trying to tell us - or show us - is obviously important.

"Our lips are sealed, right Elena?" She nodded, albeit reluctantly, but it was all the assurance Bonnie needed.

"Okay, there's no windows open right? No fan, no air conditioning-" I cut her off.

"Stop beating around the bush Bon; we get the idea." I informed her.

"Grams just showed me this. You're going to love it. Are you ready?" I nodded eagerly, waiting impatiently to see what the big deal was. I watched intently as she moved her hand to hover over the feathers, not anticipating what happened next.

She raised her hand as one of the feather's levitated into the air, following the movement of her fingertips. Bonnie moved her arm so that it was just above my lap, before she closed her hand, allowing the feather to drift slowly through the air and land onto my lap. My fingers curled around the object in question with wonder, lifting it closer towards my widened eyes as I examined it carefully.

_That's impossible._

"Bonnie... What's going on?" Evidently, Elena is just as confused and astounded as I am. Bonnie merely smiled, before placing her hands over the feathers once again, only this time, more than one levitated into the air. My mind desperately searched for answers, an explanation as to how she was doing this. I had a flash in my head, of the night Stefan came round to have dinner with us, hoping to change Bonnie's opinion about him.

_"Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Bonnie glared slightly at Elena before she grudgingly began talking._

_"Divorced, no mom, live with my dad." Stefan nodded, looking sympathetic._

_"No, about the witches. Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches, it's really cool."_

I looked at Bonnie as she lowered her hands, allowing the feathers to drift slowly onto the bed. That isn't the only time there's been mention of Bonnie's supernatural ancestry. We just didn't believe it was true; even Bonnie said that she thought it was too far fetched to actually be real.

But, somehow, it makes sense. If vampires - the blood-thirsty creatures of the night - are in fact real, then it makes complete sense that witches are too.

This revelation put me on edge. My father had never mentioned that there were supernatural beings other than vampires that exist. Now, I can only wonder what other kind of species there are out there. _Shapeshifters? Ghosts? Demons? How many other mythical creatures are walking the Earth?_

Elena sat up straighter as Bonnie forced the feathers to levitate again, but this time she doesn't use her hands to guide them. Elena gasps before a series of giggles leave her mouth, completely captivated.

A laugh escapes my lips too. Even though I have no idea what's out there, lurking in the dark, it's obvious that Bonnie isn't a threat to us. She'd never use her powers to try and hurt Elena, or anyone for that matter. The minor wave of anxiety that had passed through me moments ago faded away and I watched as the feathers continued to orbit around us.

"It's true you two, everything my Grams told me... It's impossible, and it's true. I'm a witch." She informed us, speaking almost in a whisper.

"I believe you." I nodded in agreement with Elena's sentiment, smiling softly in Bonnie's direction, which she returned. I'm pleased that she trusts me with this. Of course she trusts Elena as they're best friends, but Bonnie and I are no where near as close.

It was then that I realised that Bonnie must consider me as a friend, because I doubt she'd be telling me this otherwise. A burst of happiness spread through me as I realised that I consider Bonnie as a friend too.

We talked about what being a witch meant for Bonnie and how she was dealing with it. I was surprised to hear she was coping with her new found powers well, but I was also relieved. She seems like a good person, and I'd hate to see her going through a hard time, especially over something she has no control over.

Half way through our conversation I realised that I had to be at work in fourty minutes, which meant that I had to start getting ready if I didn't want to be late. Facing the wrath of Keith was the last thing I wanted to do right now.

"I've got to go get ready for work otherwise Keith will have my head." I ungracefully rolled off the bed, ignoring the amused look Elena sent me.

"Well we'll see you at the grill later, Caroline's throwing a party there." I rose an eyebrow, exchanging a confused look with Elena. _This is obviously news to her too._

"Why am I only just hearing about this? I work there, surely someone would have mentioned it." Bonnie shrugged, looking just as confused as Elena and I do.

"I have no idea, it's kind of last minute."

"Okay, I guess I'll see you two later then." They nodded before I left Elena's room, heading to my own and shutting the door quietly.

I moved to turn towards my bathroom, but was stopped when a hand curled around my mouth, pulling me backwards against the the hard chest of my intruder. My hands clawed at the hand covering my mouth desperately, but found that the person holding me was a lot stronger than I am.

"Don't even think about screaming." I paused at the sound of Damon's voice causing my hands stopped moving, a wave of relief flowing through me as I realised it was only him. The relief soon turned into anger and annoyance as he broke his hold on me.

"Do you have a death wish, Damon?" I spat out hoarsley, glaring daggers at him.

"You know, that would sound a lot more intimidating if it was coming from someone, I don't know, other than _you._" I laughed bitterly. _Why do we always seem to rub each other the wrong way?_ I rolled my eyes and moved backwards so that I could put some distance between us.

"What are you doing here, in my room, Damon?" His blue eyes seemed to glint as the sunlight bounced off of them, and I knew that I was going to regret asking that question.

"I just couldn't resist. The thought of being in a room with you and a bed seemed too good to pass up." Blood rose to my cheeks causing me to blush and Damon to chuckle. I blinked at the sound. Despite how manly, arousing and appealing his laugh sounded, it was from Damon, and thoughts of me, him and a bed are strictly forbidden.

"Okay, you've had your fun, you've startled me, _again,_" I muttered as my mind flashed back to mine and Damon's conversation this morning outside of the police station. "And you've annoyed the hell out of me, so mission accomplished. Now, will you please leave-"

"Nope. You see, you're going to help me out with a problem I'm having." I crossed my arms over my chest, raising my chin defiantly.

"You're the last person on Earth I'd help out with anything, so find someone else to do your dirty work." Damon cocked his head to the side and before I knew it, he had me pushed up against a wall with my hands above my head locked tightly in his. I gulped, my throat suddenly dry as he leaned closer to me, his face only centimetres from mine.

Embarrassingly, my eyes drifted to his lips. They were so close to mine, and for some reason unknown to me, they looked absolutely devine. _This isn't the first time you've had that thought, Brooke. _I could feel my heart skip a beat; all of the thoughts in my head were jumbled up. At that moment, the only thing that I knew for sure was that Damon Salvatore was _very hot, _and that maybe kissing him wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Then I remembered that I absolutely loathe Damon, and the spell was broken.

My eyes connected with his and a low whimper escaped my lips as his hands tightened around mine, and I briefly wondered why somehow, I always end up stuck between Damon and a wall. The thought was forgotten though when Damon started speaking.

"Trust me, it's in your best interest to help me. After all, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your friend Bonnie, would you?" My eyes widened before my jaw tightened.

"Why would you want to hurt Bonnie, Damon?"

"Oh gee, I don't know, maybe because she has a certain necklace of mine and I want it back." Snarkiness was laced into his voice, making it obvious that he was pretty pissed about this.

"How am I supposed to help you with that?"

"Get it from her. I don't care what you have to do, lie, steal, it doesn't matter, _just get it_. Caroline's throwing a party at the grill and I have no doubt that your little friend will be wearing it." I closed my eyes in dispair. Damon must have noticed how torn I was between doing the right thing and helping him, because he started speaking again.

"Or, I could always go to Bonnie myself. I can think of _lots _of ways to make her hand it over-" I cut him off immediately.

"Fine, I'll get it. As long as you don't harm Bonnie." Damon smirked, releasing the hold he had on my hands. They fell to my sides and he reached for my right hand, bringing it to his mouth as his lips caressed it softly. Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach, but I tried to ignore them.

"Always a pleasure doing business with you Brooke. I'll see you tonight; you look stunning in those tight, little shorts by the way." Before I could respond with a retort, Damon was gone and I was left standing alone against the wall.

My hand rose to my chest as I tried to control my breathing and slow down my racing heart. I just made a deal with the devil, a deal that could possibly be the end of me.

_After all, they do say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** So that was the first part of 162 Candles, I hope you enjoyed it. What did you think to Damon black-mailing Brooke into helping him? There was some key information in this chapter that will become very important later on, and will result in eventually bringing Brooke and Damon closer together. I promise that the wait for the next chapter will not be as long as the one for this one was :)_

_**Review!**  
><em>


	12. 162 Candles: Part 2

_**A/N: **Hello readers! The second part to 162 Candles has arrived :) Thank you to everyone who has put me in their favourite authors list, on their author alerts, put this story in their favourites or alerts, and thank you to **David Fishwick, Azura Soul Reaver, grapejuice101, Bookworm Angel, KimmyWSmith, susl** and **SerenaDanaRed80** for reviewing! You're all wonderful people :)_

_Disclaimer: I think you're all smart enough to realise that I **don't **own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

_Why am I doing this again?_

My eyes swept around the grill nervously as I stood behind the bar. Telling Damon that I would help him get this crystal from Bonnie seemed like it was a good idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure._ Just get over it Brooke, you don't have a choice. Would you rather Damon made Bonnie hand over the necklace? _I shuddered, not liking the direction my thoughts were heading in.

_This is Damon we're talking about here; he doesn't make threats that he can't deliver._

What intrigues me the most is the point of all of this. The reason he threatened me with Bonnie's wellbeing is because he wants a necklace that she has in her possession. But what is so important about a necklace? Why does Damon want it?

"Hey Brooke!" I was snapped out of my thoughts when Caroline waltzed up to the bar.

"Hey Caroline." I sent her a small smile that wasn't very convincing because as you can tell, I'm not exactly in the mood to be all cheerful and chipper. Caroline didn't seem to notice however as her attention was placed elsewhere. She smiled beamingly when she noticed that more people were gradually filing into the grill. People were dancing, talking, and the atmosphere was lively and energetic. I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only person here who wasn't feeling so happy like everybody else._ At least you're not as moody as Keith, he's on the warpath today_, _as usual._

"Great turn out, right?" She asked, seeking for assurance.

"Yeah, you've done an amazing job." Her smile widened. "I was just wondering, why did you throw this party? What's the occassion?" I asked as I wiped down the bar.

"There isn't one. Damon told me to throw it." I paused for a second, before looking straight into Caroline's eyes. _Why would Damon ask Caroline to throw a party at the grill? _A sense of dread swept over me. _What the hell is he planning? This is even bigger than I thought it was going to be._ I opened my mouth, ready to fire questions at her but stopped when she held up her hand.

"Speaking of the devil, he's over there; I'm going to go and talk to him, I'll see you later. Keep the customers happy!" She was gone before I could object, so I was left to watch as she walked across to the other side of the grill to speak to Damon.

I tried to observe their conversation but I was too far away to hear anything, and I was constantly being interrupted by customers. I did, however, notice Caroline's face drop as she continued talking to Damon. _Whatever he's saying to her is obviously not good._

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and since there were other staff ready to serve customers I decided to take an early break. I moved to sit on the other side of the bar and looked at the caller I.D. I was wary for a few seconds when it showed up with an unfamiliar number, but I answered it anyway.

"Hello."

"_Enjoying the party? Caroline does throw a good bash, I'll give her that._" My eyes widened; I could recognise that voice anywhere. _You have_ _got_ _to be kidding me._

"How the _hell_ did you get my number?" I asked in an aggravated tone.

"_I have my ways_." I rolled my eyes at his cryptic response.

"Damon," I said warningly, but he just chuckled.

"_Don't get your panties into a twist. You look absolutely ravishing by the way, good enough to eat._" Blood rushed to my cheeks and I wasn't sure whether it was out of anger because of the double meaning behind his words, or whether it was because it sounded slightly like a compliment, and I wasn't used to getting those from Damon. _He's just playing with you, that's all he does._

"If you're going to talk to me at least come over to the bar, I refuse to speak to you on the phone."

"_Why? Is hearing my voice not good enough? I get it, you just want to stare at my good looking physique._" He teased, and I felt even more blood rush to my cheeks. _I don't care whether he's ridicuously hot, speaking to him on the phone when he's in the same room as me is just ridiculous._

"I do _not!_" I glared at him from across the grill as I objected.

"_You don't need to deny it, I know the truth. And if I'm being honest, I like your physique too._"

"... Just get over here!" I hung up, huffing and puffing in annoyance. I saw him laugh before he walked through the crowd of people who were dancing and took a seat on the barstool next to me.

"What's got you all edgy?" He asked, but I could tell that he already knew what the answer was: _him._ I shook my head and headed to the other side of the bar, realising that my break was over. I stood opposite Damon and glared at him heatedly.

"I've got a lot of bones to pick with you." He raised an eyebrow and went to speak, but I held up my hand. "Why have you not only dragged me into your schemes, but Caroline aswell? Why is this necklace or crystal thing so important to you? How did you get my number? Why-"

"One question at a time sweetheart." I clenched my hand into a fist as I tried to control my emotions. My temper is starting to flare out of control, and the last thing I want to do is cause a scene. Damon's expression suddenly changed from amused to annoyed, and he lent over the edge of the bar slightly.

"Why the necklace is important to me is none of your business. What the hell have you been doing for the past hour? I told you that I'd take matters into my own hands if you didn't get the job done, so how _on Earth_ do you plan on getting my crystal back when you're stood behind the bar serving alcohol to a bunch of idiotic teenagers?" He sneered.

"First of all, I'm _not _serving alcohol to anyone underage, and second of all there's nothing I can do about it. Keith told me that I have to work, and-" I was cut off when coincidently, Keith walked past and overheard the conversation.

"Slacking on the job, again! This is preposterous! You shouldn't be talking to your boyfriend while you're at work, it's distracting and stops you from doing your job!" Damon snickered as a look of sheer horror swept over my face.

"He isn't my boy-"

"I keep telling her to serve the customers and ignore me, but she never listens. She just can't be tamed." My mouth opened so wide that I could catch flies with it if I wanted to. _In what world would Damon and I ever be in a romantic relationship? Definitely not this one. _Keith nodded in agreement with Damon and sent me a look filled with disdain.

"She can't. I was thinking about giving you the night off since we've got plenty of staff, but you can forget that now. You've disappointed me, _again_." I closed my eyes in defeat, but when I opened them again I saw Damon grab Keith's arm tightly, pulling him towards him. _What the hell is he doing? _He shot me a look before turning his gaze to Keith, who looked ready to give him an earful.

"You _will_ give Brooke the night off, actually, the rest of the week off with full pay. And since you're such a dick, you can give her a pay rise on top of that." My eyes widened as I watched Keith repeat the words, completely under Damon's compulsion. Keith said them to me and I nodded in response, not knowing what else to do. I walked around to the customer side of the bar and sat next to Damon in silence as I tried to find the words that I was looking for.

"Why did you do that, Damon? The money and the extra time off." I asked curiously.

"Are you complaining?" I shook my head sideways. "Then it doesn't matter." _But it does._ It sounds strange, but I appreciated that. I know it was mainly over giving me the night off so I could assist him with his secret agenda, but the extra time off and the pay rise? Damon isn't the kind of person who hands out favours often, so why did he this time?

"Damon-"

"Look, if you help me and I help you, we all go home happy. But if you don't help me and you screw me over tonight, then I most definitely will _not _be happy, and the last thing you'll want to deal with is me when I'm in that state. So get the job done, _now._" He said coldly, motioning for me to start moving over to Bonnie's table.

_You help me and I help you. _It isn't really a favour, he just wants me to hurry up and get the crystal. I stared at him for a moment before smiling at him fakely. _And you thought he was genuinely being nice. Looks like you were wrong. _I shook my head as I walked over to Bonnie's table, feeling disappointed with not only Damon, but myself. _You know that Damon never does anything just to be kind, he only does something nice if it's for his own gain, and that's never going to change, especially not where you're concerned._

"Hey Bonnie, mind if I sit with you?" She looked up at me and smiled before motioning to all of the free seats she was surrounded by.

"Please do, I feel like an outcast sitting on my own." I laughed slightly and sat down next to her, planning a strategy in my mind that I was going to use to get the cyrstal from her. I don't want to steal it - because I obviously can't do that when she's wearing it - so I guess lying is the most suitable option. _Great idea Brooke, because you're such an expert in lying, aren't you? _I ignored my thoughts, knowing that they were only going to distract me.

"Wow, that necklace is so... Mesmerising." I commented. It wasn't that nice, but I knew it would look suspicious if I asked Bonnie if I could borrow a necklace that I didn't like.

"You think? I don't really like it." I smiled at her as I found an angle I could work with.

"Well since I _love _it and you don't, why don't I take it off your hands? I get something great, you lose something bad, it's a win for the both of us." She shook her head.

"I can't..." She trailed off and she looked at me for a few moments. It felt like she was analysing me, but I didn't understand why. Something changed in her demeanor and Bonnie lent backwards, looking at me like I was a creation of the devil.

"You were speaking to Damon a lot earlier." I froze, just for a second, but Bonnie noticed my reaction. Her eyes narrowed.

"Damon told you to get this necklace, didn't he? I just went through all of this with Caroline. I'm really surprised and upset with you, Brooke. Why are you trying to help Damon?" I was lost for words. _How am I going to talk myself out of this one? _I decided to tell her the truth, that he blackmailed me into helping him. _I was only doing it so that he wouldn't go after her._

"I can explain-" She cut me off.

"Don't bother. I obviously made a mistake when I decided to trust you, and I'm not going to make that mistake again." She sent me a heated glare before standing up and leaving, while I sat motionless in the chair.

_I obviously made a mistake when I decided to trust you_.

Those words stung. I don't blame her for feeling betrayed, but she doesn't know the full story.

_I was doing it for her._ He was going to hurt her if I didn't agree to his demands. Correction: _is _going to hurt her. Getting that necklace is now an impossible task, it just can't be done. Bonnie doesn't trust me and she isn't going to help Damon.

_I've really messed up, haven't I?_

"You better have that necklace." My heart pounded inside of my chest, knowing that Damon was stood right behind me. I didn't want to face him so I ignored him, choosing instead to walk forwards, but Damon wasn't having that. His hands gripped my arms and he span me around, pulling me flush against his chest.

One of his arms wrapped itself around my waist to stop me from moving away from him and the other held onto my chin, tilting my face up so that I had no choice but to look directly into his crystal blue eyes.

"Well? Where is it?" My silence said it all. His eyes immediately turned cold as he realised that I hadn't managed to obtain it, and without realising it I began to stutter out excuses.

"It's oka- okay, I can get, can get it-"

"You're wasting my time. I ask you to do one thing, one _little _thing and you're not even smart enough to do that." My eyes instantly hardened at his words.

"If _you _were smart enough, you'd have already gotten it by now and wouldn't be asking me to get it for you." The second the words passed through my lips, I wished I could take them back. He cocked his head to the side, sneering at me while his hand released my chin, pushing me away from him so roughly that I stumbled slightly as I tried to find my footing.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that. You're right; why send an idiot to do a job I can easily do myself?" His smirk grew wider before he pushed his way through a sea of dancing teenagers, leaving me with a pounding heart and an unsettling pit in the bottom of my stomach.

_He's going to hurt Bonnie to get what he wants, and it's all my fault._

* * *

><p>"Stefan, thank God you're here! Have you seen Damon?" I asked as I approached him and a blonde girl who were playing pool. She smiled at me and held out her hand towards me which I shook with my own.<p>

"You must be Brooke, I'm Lexi. The birthday boy's told me all about you and Elena." She said, smiling mischeviously with a twinkle in her eyes as she sent an unreadable look to Stefan. Thoughts of Damom momentarily disappeared from my mind.

"It's your birthday? I had no idea, I'm so sorr-" Stefan cut me off.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Why are you looking for Damon, has he done something?" Stefan questioned as he put his pool cue onto the table and stepped closer to me with worry written in his eyes.

_This is why you shouldn't have asked Stefan, now he's going to go into over-protective mode._

"No! No, of course not, he's just... I-" I stuttered, racking my mind for a decent excuse. Stefan knows that Damon and I don't get along - not that anyone gets along with Damon - so he's not going to believe me if I tell him anything but the truth. Thankfully, Lexi intervened and came to the rescue.

"Please don't tell me you're yet another one of the girls around here that's fallen for the _Salvatore charm._" Lexi teased in a sarcastic - yet serious - voice.

"What charm?" She laughed before hooking her arm through mine.

"I like her." I laughed in response and Stefan smiled at the two of us, but I could still see concern lingering in the back of his eyes, like he wasn't going to let me asking where Damon was go. _Hopefully Stefan won't do anything stupid; Damon's not in a good mood so I doubt he's willing to listen to anyone right now._

Lexi nudged me, drawing my attention to her.

"Want to go and do some shots? Not you, party pooper." Stefan rolled his eyes as I laughed and nodded, letting Lexi drag me over to the bar. I have no idea who she is, but she seems really friendly and if Stefan likes her, then she's obviously not dangerous. _Wait a second... If Stefan likes her?_ It wouldn't bother me if it was anyone else but I know that Elena still has feelings for Stefan, and I doubt they'll be disappearing anytime soon.

"Before you ask, no, I'm not with Stefan. Never have and never will be." My eyes widened but I just nodded in response, not questioning how she could read me so well after meeting me only five minutes ago.

"So, you and Stefan are friends?" She nodded as we approached the bar, both taking a seat on a barstool.

"Yeah, since the eighteen-hundreds." My heart-rate increased ever so slightly before returning to its normal pace. It didn't really come as a shock to hear that she was a vampire, but I'm still coming to terms with their existence.

I opened my mouth so that I could respond, but I was interrupted when one of my collegues walked over to us.

"Hey Brooke, what can I get you two?"

"Hey Dale," I looked at Lexi out of the corner of my eye and she flashed him a smile.

"Three shots of tequila... No, make that four." She requested, looking at someone behind me.

"I think I need to see some I.D," He said, only looking at Lexi since he's already aware that I'm twenty-one and of legal age.

"No you don't." Her pupils dilated as she caught his eyes with hers, trapping him with her compulsion. I would've objected, but it's not like she was using her ability in a harmful way. _Besides, you weren't that bothered when Damon scored you a pay rise and some time off._ I almost groaned at the thought.

_Damon is an asshole who is planning to hurt one of your friends to get what he wants, why is a part of you constantly forgetting that?_

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice that Dale had given us our shots and Lexi was motioning for me to stand up and follow her. She passed me a shot after I started walking with her, so I brought the rim of the glass to my mouth and the liquid hit my lips. _Maybe a little alcohol will take my mind off of Damon._

"Thinking about Damon?" I coughed violently as the alcohol burned my throat and proceded to go down my wind pipe. _Did she just say what I think she said? _Lexi smirked knowingly as she jokingly patted me on the back; I tried to control my breathing as I stared at her in confusion. _How can she read me so well? I must be an open book._

"I'm quite good at reading people." She winked as we stopped in front of Elena while I bit my lip. _If she can tell what I'm thinking about when she barely knows me, who else can? Can Damon? _A shiver rippled through me, not liking the thought. _It's bad enough that I find myself thinking about him constantly for no reason at all, but if he knew, that would give him way too much power over me. Power that could destroy me._

"Ah, the famous Elena." Lexi stated.

"Towel girl." I raised an eyebrow at my cousin's remark, not used to her being so brash.

"I've been called worse." Lexi laid the three remaining shots on a table and handed me another one that I just held in my hands, making no attempts to drink it. _Choking like I did a minute ago doesn't sound very appealing._

"I didn't know that you guys could drink." Elena said, confused, but the the thought had never entered my mind. _Why shouldn't they have the ability to drink alcohol, or consume other human foods?_

"Oh yeah, it helps with the cravings. But, it makes for a _lot _of lushy vamps." Elena giggled slightly and I smiled.

"You know I've never seen Stefan drunk, he always seems a little-"

"Uptight?" I scoffed slightly.

"A little is an understatement." Elena looked at me quizzacally for a second as my mind flashed back to earlier when we were by the pool table. It's his birthday but he's still looking out for everyone else, even at the expense of his own fun.

"But he isn't with you." Elena said and I could detect a hint of jealousy in her tone. I threaded my arm through hers, letting her know that there wasn't anything to worry about.

"That's the benefit of knowing someone for a hundred years, you can just be yourself." I nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, he can't be himself with me." Elena said dejectedly.

"Well not yet. The first step was him telling you, the rest comes with time." A face popped into my mind, intruding my thoughts as it does on a daily basis. When Damon told me - well, showed me - that he was a vampire, I didn't react well. How could I, when he was causing chaos throughout Mystic Falls?

I shoved the memories out of my mind. Stefan isn't like that, not that I'm aware of. He isn't evil, that much is blindingly obvious, but is he good enough for my cousin? Does he deserve a chance with her? _Yes. The anwer is yes. _Whether Elena knows it or not, she has feelings for him, and she wants to be with Stefan despite him being a vampire.

"How much time?" I asked timidly, aware that Elena's eyes were on me.

"As much time as it takes." Lexi said, as if it was obvious, but Elena was still tense beside me. I knew that Lexi's words weren't really comforting her at the moment, however I knew that Elena needed to hear whatever the fiery blonde woman wanted to say.

"You seem so sure." Elena stated while Lexi sent her a knowing look.

"The love of my life, was human. He went through what I'm imagining you're going through: denial, anger etcetera. But at the end of the day, love really _did_ conquer all." I looked at her hesitanty. _It did? He chose to be with her even though she's a vampire?_

"Are you two going to drink those?" I laughed before handing Lexi my glass, watching in amusement as she knocked back both mine and Elena's shots.

"I'm scared."

"But you're here. Cause you're _crazy_ about him..." As Lexi started talking, I realised that I couldn't really relate to either of them. Lexi has been and is in love, Elena is currently falling in love, and me? Well, Noah was the most serious boyfriend I've ever had, and while I had feelings for him, I don't know if they represented love or just a crush.

_How sad is that? Not knowing what love feels like, not knowing what being with 'the one' feels like. _People say it's one of the most greatest things imaginable, that you haven't really lived until you've experienced what love feels like.

_I guess that means I haven't lived at all, not really._

That broke my heart a little bit. I've never wanted anything more than to live life to the fullest, and when I was younger that's all I ever wanted to do. I'd hoped that someday, when I was finally away from my father and out in the world on my own, that's exactly what I'd do. As it turns out, someday hasn't came yet. _I have no idea if it will ever come at all._

"When it's real, you can't walk away." My head snapped up, my ears catching the end of their conversation. I walked away from Noah and a countless number of other guys, so obviously, none of those relationships were real. _Why can't I just have something real? Someone who makes me feels special, someone I can't wait to come home to every day, someone who challenges me and makes sure that I live life to the fullest._

A five letter name flashed through my mind in neon lights. A name that scares yet thrills me, all at the same time. A name beginning with the letter _D._

I saw a remaining shot on the table and downed it. _No. That is the last place I would ever go. I could never have something real with Damon Salvatore, the guy tries to scare me on a daily basis, blackmails me by using my friends and threatens to basically ruin the lives of everyone I care about. Hell, he's planning on hurting Bonnie now since I didn't get him that necklace._

Damon's heart isn't pure. It's contaminated, evil and destructive. He will _never _be a good person, a person that I would even think about dating. But then a thought passed through my mind, fleetingly: everyone is capable of change, no matter who they are or what they have done.

I felt like laughing. _I'll believe that when I see it, actually see Damon change. Definitely not in my lifetime, that's for sure._

"Hey Lexi, it was really nice meeting you." Elena said as Lexi moved to leave the two of us. She nodded in response and I sent her a small smile.

"Hopefully we'll see each other again." She returned my smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure we will. And that thing you were thinking about earlier," My breath got caught in my throat. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Just be careful." She was gone before I could reply, leaving Elena and I alone. I was hoping that she wouldn't question what Lexi had said, and thankfully she didn't as she was too preoccupied with staring at Stefan.

I nudged her with my arm. "Go and talk to him." She looked at me warily for a second before her eyes snapped back to Stefan, her posture no longer ridged and tense. I gently guided her in the direction of Stefan, giggling as I did so.

"I can walk without assitance Brooke." She deadpanned.

"Well you're not doing a very good job of it." I observed as I let go of her arm. Her feet were nailed to the ground, not moving towards the person I could tell she desperately wanted to talk to.

"Okay, okay, fine! I'll go over there if it means that you'll stop hassling me!" She stormed off as I laughed.

_She's_ _in denial, but soon she'll realise that she needs Stefan in her life, despite of what he is._

My smile dropped like a wilting flower however when my eyes drifted towards the crowded bar and found Damon sitting on a barstool, nursing a glass of bourbon. _Has he done what he said he was planning on doing? Going to Bonnie himself?_

My throat tightened so much that I could hardly breathe, until I looked to my right and noticed that Bonnie was standing on the other side of the grill with the necklace still securely wrapped around her neck. The sight brought a smile to my lips - she seems completely fine, thankfully.

My smile disappeared immediately however when I realised that she wouldn't be fine for much longer unless I did something to stop Damon or convince him that I could still get him the cyrstal.

My feet started moving at a rapid pace for a few seconds until the sight of Lexi sauntering over to Damon made me pause in my movements.

I watched Damon and Lexi interact for a few minutes; it was clear that neither of them wanted to talk to each other. Which presents the quesiton, why? Why did Lexi go over to him in the first place when it's obvious that she doesn't want to speak to him?

Before I had the chance to figure out the answer to my question my eyes strayed away from the pair of vampires and over to the door, where a few members of the police force (including sheriff Forbes) were stood with a young girl, who looked a few years older than myself.

She pointed at Damon and Lexi before the sheriff swiftly shoved her out of the door; my heart thumped wildly in my chest as Elizabeth and two officers made their way over to the bar._ Something tells me that this isn't going to end well._

Turns out, I was right.

I don't know exactly what they did to Lexi, but she went from standing up one second to collapsing into the officers arms the next as they dragged her through the grill, right past me and straight out of the door. _What have they done to her, and why did they do it?_

Stefan brushed past me with Elena hot on his heels and she grabbed my hand, pulling me along with them.

"Can't go out this way." A police officer said, guarding the door. Stefan's face grew aggravated so I pulled him and Elena aside, my eyes flashing over to the bar.

"We can go through the back, follow me." Elena's hand gripped mine even tighter between hers as I escorted them through the grill, behind the bar and through the back. We walked through the kitchen and a storage room before I found our destination - the back door. Stefan bolted through it, running ahead of Elena and I and we increased our pace so that we could keep up with him.

The three of us stopped moving when we reached the edge of the grill's exterior; gunshots rang through the air, causing my breath to get caught in my throat. _I knew that tonight was going to be bad, but I never expected it to end up like this._

My eyes watched as the sheriff fired at Lexi, the rest of my body completely frozen. The blonde vampire merely grinned as she walked towards Elizabeth, appearing unfazed by her attack, causing my erratic heart-beat to slow down. If Stefan isn't interferring at this point and Lexi seems unaffected by the bullets ripping their way through her chest, then maybe she'll be okay, and all of this can be resolved.

The thought left my mind however when all of a sudden, Damon abruptly appeared out of nowhere with a stake in his hand.

A stake that quickly left his hand and pierced its way through Lexi's chest.

My right hand disconected itself from Elena's and flew to my face, covering my mouth to stop a cry escape from my throat. Elena gasped in horror and Stefan pulled her against him, using his hand to smother her whimpers.

"Oh my God..." Stefan whispered, watching the scene unfold infront of him. A stinging sensation burned behind my eyes and my throat grew so tight that I could barely breathe as I watched Lexi's skin turn ghastly grey before she crashed to the floor, her head lolling to the side.

I was some distance away, but even from where I was stood I could see the light in her eyes vanish in a flash and in that moment, I knew.

I knew that she was gone.

* * *

><p>"Stefan!" Elena screamed his name desperately as she ran after him while I watched from afar, leaning against my cousin's car. I'd decided to let them have a moment to themselves to talk about what had just happened, what we had just witnessed.<p>

This night was just a disaster; this wasn't supposed to happen. And it wouldn't have, if it wasn't for _him_.

I just don't understand Damon, and truth be told, I don't think I want to. All I know is that in the space of six hours, he's managed to blackmail me into helping him, ruined his brother's birthday and killed one of the funniest, nicest people I have ever met. The question lingering in the back of my mind like a looming shadow is, why? Why would he want to do any of this, especially to his own brother?

_Who cares why he does anything? He's insane; he ruins peoples lives because he finds it amusing._

Even though I agreed with my thoughts, I couldn't help but think that there was something more to the way he acts. _Surely he can't just be doing these things to entertain himself. It's hard to imagine someone being that cold-hearted, even Damon._

I leaned my body against the car even more, my legs locked so tightly that they were incapable of holding my weight. My eyes swept the area, noting that Elena was still speaking to Stefan and that the police officers were throwing out all of the drunk teenagers from the grill.

Finally, my eyes landed on a man who was having a discussion with the sheriff in the doorway of the grill. _Mr fantastic, of course._

As Elizabeth walked away and Damon turned around from where he was stood his eyes connected with mine instantly, almost as if he knew that I'd been watching him. His expression remained stoic, unreadable and I shook my head, not only in disdain but also in disappointment.

I'd always wanted a younger or older sibling, especially when I was growing up. Of course, that wish died along with my mother and the realisation that my father would probably never remarry, but I do not envy Stefan in the slightest, that's for sure. He has to deal with Damon more than Elena and myself do.

My head snapped to the side at the sound of approaching footsteps and I sighed in relief when I realised that it was only Elena. My happiness was short lived - as always - at the sight of her tear stricken face, so I opened my arms to her, wrapping them around her shaking shoulders.

"How can he do this? How can he be so cruel?" She sobbed, staining my shirt with her tears. My hand stroked her hair softly as I attempted to calm her down.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know." She pulled away from my embrace, wiping away her tears with her hands before crossing her arms and heading towards the drivers seat.

"Hey, no offense but you're in no position to drive right now. Give them to me." She rolled her eyes before tossing me her keys and heading towards the passenger seat. We both jumped into the car and put on our seatbelts. I looked at my cousin out of the corner of my eye, sending her what I was hoping was a reassuring smile.

"C'mon, lets go home." She sent me a look filled with exasperation.

"I don't think I know where home is." I flinched slightly but she didn't notice as her attention was placed elsewhere.

_Neither do I._

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><p><strong><em>AN: _**_Hey guys, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me a review so that I can hear your thoughts, remember that I have no problem with criticism as long as it's done tastefully._

**_Review!_**


	13. History Repeating

_**A/N: **Hey readers, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been having lots of problems with my computer/internet connection and my life's been extremely busy recently, so I haven't had the time to write. Nonetheless, thanks to all of the people who have stuck with this story and are still reading it! I made this chapter extra long, it's just over **ten thousand words** so I hope you enjoy it!  
><em>

_Thanks to everyone who **favourited/alerted/followed **this story, and thanks to **SomebodyWhoCares, Azura Soul Reaver, pandafury11, Kira Tsumi, Guest, Bubblysnow, ILoveYou1978, SerenaDanaRed80, **and **Jenn** for **reviewing!**_

_**Disclaimer:** I obviously do **not **own **The Vampire Diaries.**_

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><p><em><strong>Brooke's pov:<strong>_

The sound of a loud, incessant rapping against my door caused me to groan and bury my head underneath my covers. My sleeping patterns haven't been consistent as of late, so I've been finding it hard to drag myself out of bed in the morning.

I haven't been my usual self for the past two weeks; I've been finding it difficult to sleep, so difficult in fact that every time the clock strikes midnight I get out of my bed, change into a pair of jeans and a tank top and drive around Mystic Falls for hours on end. I don't know what triggered my momentary insomnia, perhaps it's the fact that Bonnie has refused to speak to me since the night that I tried to get her necklace, or maybe it's because I watched Damon end Lexi's life. I don't know what the cause is, probably a combination of the two, but what I do know is that it's spiralling into a big, _big _problem, and I need to fix it, quickly.

Jenna continued to knock on my door but I ignored her, trying to block out the sound by using my hands to muffle my ears.

"Brooke, get your ass out of bed right now! You're late for work!" my eyes snapped open in an instant and I bolted upwards, muttering a series of curses under my breath. _That's the fourth day in a row you've been late for work Brooke; Keith is going to be pissed! _I darted towards my bedroom door before opening it and staring at my aunt sheepishly.

"I'll be ready in a second, just give me five minutes." She raised an eyebrow at me before scoffing and descending down the stairs, allowing me to breathe out a strangled sigh. She offered to give me a ride today because she said that there was something important that she needed to discuss with me. _She knows something's up, _I thought before walking into my bathroom and trying to make myself look presentable in the five minutes I'd allocated myself.

I quickly ran a brush though my hair before swiping on some mascara and lip gloss. Then, I walked back into my bedroom and over to my wardrobe to put on a pair of black skin-tight jeans, a grey strapless top and a pair of black flats. I grabbed my bag and rushed downstairs, noticing that Jenna was stood next to the front door looking at her wrist watch.

"Four minutes and fifty-two seconds, that's a big improvement from yesterday." She stated dryly before she motioned for me to step outside and get into her car. I looked at her weirdly for a moment before shaking my head and jumping into the vehicle. Something is _seriously_ up with her.

"We need to have a serious talk." Jenna said as she turned on the ignition and reversed out of the driveway.

"About what?" I questioned, looking out of the window.

"About you." I closed my eyes briefly. _I knew this was coming._

"What about me?"

"Where should I start? How about the fact that you sneak out of the house at twelve o'clock every single night and sometimes don't even return until three in the morning? _Or_, how about the fact that you're only one more day away from losing your job at the grill? I never once thought that out of you, Elena and Jeremy _you _would be the one who started playing up, Brooke, but you're starting to prove me wrong." Her voice grew softer towards the end of her speech and my eyes involuntarily narrowed. I knew that she was only looking out for me and that she was trying to help me, but for some reason my mind just couldn't comprehend that.

"I'm twenty-one years old Jenna, I can do whatever the hell I want. Who cares if I go out at midnight and don't return until three?" I questioned in a hard tone.

"I do! When it starts to affect your work and your attitude then yes, I care! You aren't normally like this Brooke. You're punctual, you're never late to anything and you're never this negligent! Do you even care that you might lose your job?" I rolled my eyes and leaned the back of my head against the headrest.

"Of course I care Jenna but I'm fine, I'm not about to lose my job. I'm the best member of Keith's staff."

"Sure, when you _actually_ turn up." My aunt scoffed and I shook my head slightly. _So I've been late to work a few times in the past couple of weeks - so what? I stay after my shift finishes to make up the time anyway._

"As pleasant a conversation this is, was there anything else you wanted to talk about or do you just plan on lecturing me about the importance of punctuality all day?" Jenna rolled her eyes but nodded in acknowledgement at my question.

"Your father called me last night." I felt my mouth drop open but I swiftly closed it, allowing myself to think her words over. After their turbulent break-up in high school things have been unbearably tense between the two of them, I can't even remember the last time I saw them in the same room together. He never rings her either, not unless they have something important to talk about.

I finally opened my mouth to speak but Jenna held up her hand briefly to silence me before returning it to the steering wheel.

"He wanted to know whether you and I had been in touch and if I knew where you were or how you were doing. I told him I knew as much about the situation as he did." I sighed in relief.

"On a scale of one to ten, how annoyed did he sound?" she shot me an amused look.

"Definitely higher than nine. He kept saying something about some guy he'd spoken to on your phone. He thinks you ran away with some drugged up college dropout and are now touring the states." I squinted my eyes in confusion for a second until the memory of Damon answering my cell phone the night that he and Caroline gate-crashed the dinner Elena had planned for Stefan and Bonnie flashed through my mind. I snickered at the flashback; despite my unrelenting hatred towards Damon, I couldn't be more thankful for him answering that call in his Damonesque fashion.

"He can think that all he likes, the more he believes that the better." I muttered as Jenna pulled up to the grill.

"Get inside, quickly, before Keith realises you're late again." I nodded and stepped out of the car, grabbing my bag in the process. Jenna's sigh made me pause for a second and I turned around to face her, leaning against the car door. As I looked at her closely I realised that she felt just as drained as I did, and the sight pulled on my heart-strings.

_She doesn't know why I'm stressed but it's taking a toll on her too._

I shook my head slightly in dismay while my eyes closed guiltily. "I'm sorry, Jen. I shouldn't be taking my stress out on you when all you want to do is help. I promise that I'll be on time tomorrow." She stared at me with soft, warm eyes.

"Good. And to make up for it, you can have dinner with me and Jeremy today, we'll get here near the end of your shift." I smiled as she turned on the ignition and drove off, before entering the grill and taking my position behind the bar as quickly as possible so that Keith wouldn't notice the time.

* * *

><p><em>I need to talk to you, ring me A.S.A.P - Elena x<em>

My heart thumped slightly faster than usual at the sight of Elena's text message. _What does she mean she needs to talk to me? Has something bad happened, again? _I sighed before shaking my head at myself and my thoughts. I really need to stop expecting the worst out of every situation, maybe she just wants to tell me about her day.

I shook my head again. _No, something's definitely up. When isn't something up recently?_

"Brooke! Are you on that damn phone again?" I practically jumped out of my skin at the sound of Keith's voice ringing out from somewhere close by as I quickly slid my phone into my jean pocket. I still have no idea how he manages to crawl up behind me without making a sound, everything is dead silent until his boisterous voice decides to echo through the air.

"No, sir." I replied, watching as he walked around to the customer side of the bar. He scowled at me as he slammed his hand down on the bar, ordering me to fetch him a bottle of whiskey. I sent him a look before my eyes drifted over to the clock by the door, noticing that it was only three fifteen, but I kept my views on day drinking to myself, knowing that Keith would only continue to verbally harass me until I give him what he wants anyway.

"I'm going out, I've got... stuff... to do." Keith said as he took large gulps out of his whiskey bottle. He retrieved his car keys from his pocket and I knew that I had to say something - I may not like the man but I don't think I should just let him drink and drive without trying to stop him first.

"Erm, Keith, are you sure that driving in your... state is such a wise idea?" he glared daggers at me while continuing to drink heavily from the bottle.

"I'll do whatever the hell I like, Gilbert! Now shut your trap, the sound of your voice irritates me." He hissed before standing up and slowly making his way out of the main entrance, trying not to trip over his own two feet. I rolled my eyes at his words and behaviour; well, at least I _try_ to be a decent person.

Realising that I could do pretty much anything I wanted to now that Keith had left, I took my phone out of my pocket and scrolled down to Elena's name in my contacts before pressing the dial button.

"_Hey B..._" My cousin greeted before trailing off.

"Hey... what's up? Your message sounded pretty important, did something happen? Did you see Damon?" I questioned nervously. Neither of us had seen the _delinquent _since the night that he murdered Lexi, Stefan's best and oldest friend, and I was hoping that it would stay that way.

"_No, I haven't, but he is part of a problem that I'm having. He was at school earlier, trying to scare Bonnie into giving him the necklace..._" My eyes widened slightly. _He's still obsessed with that thing? What the hell does he want with it, what does it do? _"_And she's really shaken up about it. She didn't give it to him, obviously, but I don't like the way he threatened her, so I invited her to sleep round our house tonight._" I coughed nervously for a second.

"I don't think that's such a good idea Elena... Bonnie's not on the best of terms with me right now." I may be avoiding Damon, but Bonnie's been dodging me like the plague and I have a feeling that seeing her tonight will only end badly.

"_I still don't know why she fell out with you, both of you refuse to tell me why. But think about it Brooke, would you rather her be out there on her own tonight, where she can be easily found and intimidated by Damon? The safest place for her to be is with us._" I sighed.

"I know, you're right."

"_And tonight could be a good thing for you two, maybe she can forgive you for whatever you did that's made her so angry._" Elena said, hopefully.

"I doubt it." I whispered, before realising that something seemed off with the tone of my cousin's voice. "Is that all or did something else happen?" I heard her inhale sharply through the receiver, confirming my suspicions.

"_It's not so much what happened, but what won't be happening. Stefan... he said that he wants to distance himself from me, so he won't be coming to school anymore. I... I just... I know he thinks he's doing the right thing, but it's so frustrating. This isn't what I want._" Her voice broke slightly but she recovered, and I felt my eyes slide to a close slowly in despair.

_The world isn't very kind to her._

As I opened my eyes I saw Jenna and Jeremy waltz through the door and she waved me over to a table that she wanted to sit at. "I'm so sorry Elle, I know it's not what you want. I really wish I could speak to you about it but I'm a little busy right now, we'll talk later?" she replied with a solemn _yes _before hanging up the phone, causing me to stare at my electronic device in guilt. _I do want to help her but I promised Jenna that I'd have dinner with her when she wanted me to, I've upset her enough during the past two weeks._

I walked over to their table and took a seat next to my aunt. "Hey Jen, Jere." I greeted and they both smiled at me in reply.

"Oh good, I thought you'd forgotten my name, stranger." Jeremy teased jokingly, so I threw a menu at him and laughed slightly.

"Don't you start, or I won't give you any free drinks the next time you come in here." He stopped speaking immediately, causing a satisfied smirk to appear on my face. We quickly ordered what we wanted and when my colleague Jessica brought over our drinks I noticed that Jenna seemed a little distant. Usually she can't stop talking, but it all made sense when I realised what she was looking at, or rather _who. _

"I like a man who can dine alone. Shows a quiet strength." She commented, and I observed the guy that she was drooling over. He had short blonde hair and was wearing a dark blue, long sleeved button-up shirt that matched the colour of his eyes. He looked smart, like he cared about his appearance but wasn't overly obsessed with it. I decided in the few seconds it took me to notice these things that he was a _big _step up from Jenna's last boyfriend, but I can't be sure since I've never spoken to the man, so I sent Jeremy a look and raised an eyebrow, silently asking him what he thought. He nodded his head slightly, confirming my thoughts.

"I thought you were still swimming in your depression over your break up with Logan."

"Oh, I am. I've sworn of men for the rest of my existence, but that doesn't mean I can't observe them from a far away distance now and again." Jenna smiled innocently and I laughed at her words. _She can't go five minutes without a man._

"Do you want me to introduce you guys?" she shook her head nervously from side to side.

"No, don't be silly. What does he teach?" she asked, shooting sideways glances at him.

"Probably English." I chirped. "He looks like the kind of guy who could write you loads of sappy love poems and letters, it would be so cute. Dear Jenna, I-" She sent me a glare that was so dark I had to stop speaking out of fear of what she'd do to me if I carried on. Jeremy laughed slightly at the look of horror sweeping across my face before returning his attention to Jenna.

"He teaches History and he's so much better than Tanner. He's letting me re-do my work to get me some extra credit too, said he wants me to do a paper on something local and non-internet researched." I smiled at my cousin, pleased with how he was trying to improve his grades and make an effort in school. It wasn't long ago that he was more interested in drugs than his own life, and it pains me to admit this but he wouldn't be where he is now if it wasn't for Damon's compulsion.

"Oh, well that sounds easy, you have all of your dad's stuff to help you." He sent her a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"He had things from way back down the family tree, he was always into that family history stuff. It's all boxed up in the closet." The sound of a chair squeaking as it moved against the floor caught my attention and I watched as Jeremy's teacher walked towards us.

"Mr Saltzman!"

"Jeremy, what's up man?" he greeted as they slapped hands.

"This is my aunt Jenna, and my cousin Brooke." I smiled at him and held out my hand for him to shake.

"Hey, nice to meet you."

"Same here, Alaric Saltzman." My eyes widened slightly at the name. _That sounds like a mouthful, _I thought, but I smiled politely at him. Jenna hadn't said a word so I nudged her discreetly.

"Oh, hi! Jeremy was just telling us about his paper. Thanks for giving him another chance." She said softly.

"It was nothing, it was my first day so I wanted to make a good impression." They started talking, about what I didn't know as my attention had drifted elsewhere, to the bar actually, where a man in a black leather jacket stood, nursing a glass of bourbon. I felt my hand involuntarily tighten into a fist and I excused myself from the table, my eyes fixed onto Damon.

"Finally stopped avoiding me, huh? Guess you just couldn't resist me." I rolled my eyes at his words as he turned to face me but felt my heart-beat faster than usual when he sent me small wink. _How does he do that? Wha- nevermind, that's not what you're here to find out._

"I heard that you're still stalking Bonnie like the disgusting creep that you are. Don't you ever get bored?"

"Of what?"

"Of being you." He chuckled.

"Oh honey, nothing is boring about being Damon Salvatore." I scoffed before crossing my arms over my chest.

"You should just give up, she's never going to give you that necklace so stop wasting your time. What the hell do you even want it for? It's a necklace, what's so special about a freaking necklace?" I questioned angrily and he placed a hand underneath my chin, stroking it softly with his thumb.

"Ask me what _isn't _special about that necklace if you want a shorter answer." He said, before releasing my face and raising his glass to his lips. I felt my blood boiling inside of me; why does he always speak so cryptically? Can't he just answer my damn question for once?

"So Stefan, you know, I've been thinking that we should start over, give this whole brother thing another chance. We used to do it _oh so well_ once upon a time." Stefan said as he approached the bar, causing me to look at him in confusion. _Why did he call him Stefan?_

"I don't, Damon. I can't trust you to be a nice guy, you, you kill everybody and you're so mean and you're, you're so _mean_... you're really hard to imitate, I have to go to that_ lesser_ place and it's such a buzz kill." I stared at the two brothers for a moment, not really knowing how to react to the little moment they were having. Stefan sent me a look that told me he was up to something, so I didn't say a word.

"I just spoke to Elena, Brooke, she wants to know when you're going home." He stared at me with an intense expression and I gathered that he didn't want me involved in what he was about to do; I nodded slightly so that he knew I understood his silent message.

"Right, thanks." I said, shooting Damon a look of disdain that only made him smirk in amusement before I walked back to Jenna's table.

"Hey, I'm going to take off. I'll see you guys later, it was nice meeting you Alaric." He smiled at me in return and Jenna nodded distractedly, barely noticing that I was there. I grabbed my bag and walked out of the door, but not before my eyes strayed towards the bar, where Damon and Stefan were no longer present.

_What the hell is Stefan up to?_

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><p>When I arrived home and entered the living room I was surprised to see Caroline sat on the couch tapping away hectically on her phone, but I was also relieved. Relieved because she was in the same boat with Bonnie as I was and that meant that I wasn't going to be the only one receiving death glares from her tonight.<p>

"Brooke! I am _so _glad you're here!" she jumped up from the couch and enveloped me in a hug, clinging to me like she was sinking and I was the only thing keeping her afloat.

"Hey, Caroline, it's good to see you." I wheezed out, barely able to breathe because she was squeezing me so tightly. When she finally released me from her steel-like hold she dragged me into the kitchen where Elena was stood removing containers of chinese food from a paper bag, and Caroline quickly set about helping her arrange everything neatly.

When Bonnie entered the kitchen I felt the atmosphere turn from calm to uncomfortable in a second flat and I fixed my eyes onto the wall behind Elena, refusing to look into Bonnie's eyes which I knew would only be filled with disappointment.

Caroline huffed and sent her an annoyed look causing Elena to raise an eyebrow at the two of us, like she expected one of us to say something to Bonnie. _There's no way I'm saying anything, I'll just make this entire thing worse, if I couldn't lie myself out of the situation last time then I definitely can't now._

"I'm sorry. There, I said it. If you want the ugly ass necklace then you can keep it, it's yours." Caroline said sarcastically with a patronising smile on her face, and I knew that while I wouldn't have said something that would've helped or made Bonnie forgive me, I knew I wouldn't have said something _that _bad. _Caroline really does have her moments..._

"Would you hate me if I told you I threw it away?" I raised my eyes away from the wall to meet Bonnie's, who was looking at the two of us nervously. _She did what?_

"You threw it _away?_" Caroline hissed.

"I know it sounds crazy but it was giving me nightmares, I had to get rid of it."

"You could've just given it back to me!"

"So that one of you two could've given it back to Damon?" Elena said, and when I looked at her I realised that she'd known exactly why Bonnie was on the rocks with me ever since it happened, she just hadn't told me. Maybe she was waiting for me to come clean or something, I don't know, but the fact that I hadn't figured out that she knew scared me slightly. _We're not meant to hide things from each other and lately that seems like all we ever do._

"It wasn't like that." I said, causing Elena and Bonnie's accusing eyes to turn towards me.

"What was it like then? I mean, you wouldn't be the first girl to get lured into Damon Salvatore's spell." Bonnie said, and Elena nodded with her. She hadn't said the words maliciously, but I knew exactly what they were hinting at and I was done looking like the bad person in this situation.

"Believe it or not I was trying to help you, and you really don't want me to tell you the reason for that_ right now_." I discreetly gestured towards Caroline which silenced the two of them immediately, while the blonde girl looked at the three of us perplexed for a few moments before slamming her hand down onto the counter.

"You know what, screw Damon, he's not coming between anyone in this group. Are we doing manicures or what? Have you got your kits?" I shook my head slightly from side to side. _I didn't even know we were having some huge sleepover until I got back ten minutes ago._

"Mine's in my bag." Bonnie said, so Caroline went back into the living room to go and find it, leaving me alone with my cousin and the dark-skinned witch. "What do you mean you were helping me? If screwing me over to help Damon is your definition of helping someone then I'm seriously worried about your mental state." I rolled my eyes; so much for trying to do the right thing. Elena nudged her before telling me to continue.

"He was blackmailing me, alright? For some reason he has an obbsession with that necklace and he threatened me with _you. _He said he'd go after you himself if I couldn't get it for him, and that's exactly what he's doing right now because you wouldn't buy my excuses! So I'm sorry if me trying to protect you was a bitchy move, I'm sorry I tried to do the right thing. I'm_ sorry_, alright?" I said, my voice growing tired by the end of my speech.

"Oh..." She trailed off, looking at me first in confusion, then understanding, and then in regret. Elena had a pretty similar reaction, but before she had the chance to say anything, Caroline interrupted our conversation.

"Why are you _such _a little liar _Bonnie?_" Caroline spat as she entered the kitchen, pulling her hand out from behind her back to in front of her chest. In her hand she held the crystal and I watched it move from side to side like a swing. My eyes squinted in confusion as I observed the looks on Elena and Bonnie's faces. _They can't be lying, not when they look even more shocked than I do. But if they are telling the truth, and they did get rid of it, then why is it here? Why was it in her bag?_

"I didn't lie about that Caroline, I swear." Caroline scoffed at her.

"It's true, I watched her throw it into a field." Elena whispered, her eyes switching between Caroline and I.

"Then how do you explain it? What, did it _magically _reappear out of thin air and put itself in your bag?!" The blonde's question went unheard when Bonnie turned to face Elena.

"Emily... the ghost?" Bonnie made it sound like a question but by the look on Elena's face I knew it was a statement. _Ghost? Am I missing something here?_

"This 'ghost' has a name now?" Caroline said, using air quotations when she said the word ghost. _There's a ghost and Caroline, of all people, knows about it? When did I suddenly get taken out of the supernatural loop?_

"Why isn't she leaving me alone?" Bonnie asked, exasperated.

"Wait, you two had a go at _me_ for not telling you about my deal with Damon even though both of you have been keeping secrets from me too? When exactly in your _idiotic_ minds did you decide that _that_ was okay?!" I questioned, my voice rising.

"What the hell is going on? Why am I _not _a part of this conversation? You guys always leave me out of things!" Caroline said shortly after I finished my sentence. I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Elena and Bonnie before smiling cynically.

"I don't know Caroline, I honestly couldn't tell you why these two _hypocrites_ leave you out of things if my life depended on it." I snapped before leaving the kitchen and making my way up the stairs. I slammed my bedroom door shut, ignoring Elena and Bonnie's pleads for me to come back downstairs.

They make me feel ill, sometimes. Physically _ill. _I understand why they were annoyed about me making a deal with Damon, they didn't know that I was trying to do the right thing and if I was either of them then I would've felt exactly the same way. But, then they do _this? _It wasn't that long ago that I wanted taking out of the loop; I didn't want anything to do with the supernatural world, hell, I still don't. But this is reality now, and I like knowing what's going on in my life. I like knowing what to expect so that I know how I'm meant to handle the situation, I do _not _however like being cast aside like trash and being left to guess and wonder about the next tragedy that could occur at any moment.

"Brooke, please open the door." The sound of Elena's voice made me lean even more heavily against the wooden frame next to my desk.

"_Please._" I clenched my jaw shut tight before getting up and opening the door. _Knowing how persistent Elena is she'll stand there all freaking night until I give in._

"_What?_" I spat, moving to sit on my bed. She hesitantly closed the door behind her when she entered the room and stood there awkwardly, her eyes darting around and bouncing off of each and every wall. "Well? Are you going to stand there silently and avoid the subject or are you going to say something worthwhile before I kick you out of this room?" she laughed slightly at my words. "What the hell are you laughing at? Do you find this amusing?"

"No, no, of course I don't. You've just never said you'd kick me out before." I squinted my eyes in confusion; how is that supposed to be funny? "You have every right to be mad at us," Elena said as she edged closer to where I was sat on my bed. "We should've told you what's been going on. We just couldn't understand why you were working with Damon and it didn't even occur to us that you could have been blackmailed into helping him. When Emily started appearing to Bonnie I wanted to tell you, so did Bonnie actually. It sounds ridiculous but we didn't want Damon to find out and that meant not telling you. We know how absurd that is now, but we thought it was the right thing to do, just like you did." Her bright doe eyes bored into mine and as I felt my anger begin to waver the creaking of my bedroom door opening alerted Bonnie's arrival. She too like Elena shut it behind her as she entered my room before sending me a nervous smile that I didn't return.

"You two treated me like a liability, like I was out to get both of you. Yes, the situation with the necklace looked bad and I'm sorry about that, but why didn't it occur to one of you that I was just trying to help? Not help Damon, help _you. _There was no guarantee that I could safely tell one of you what was happening without Damon finding out so I did my best. What I did was try and help Bonnie, what you two did was keep all of this from me for your own selfish reasons. Why _on Earth_ would I tell Damon about Emily?"

"Because you have feelings for him." My eyes snapped to look at Bonnie and I raised a challenging eyebrow.

"That is the most stupid thing I've ever heard."

"It may be stupid but it's also true, and it's clouding your judgement." I glared at the two of them for a moment, not understanding where this was coming from.

"I do _not _have feelings for him! Oh God, it's the night that everyone came over for dinner all over again," I said, referring to Damon and Caroline's gate crash a couple of months ago. "Sure, maybe I did like that guy, the guy Damon was _pretending_ to be. But that's not actually him and I'm smart enough to realise that, if anyone's judgement here is clouded, it's yours." I said, pointing to the two of them. "Before tonight I hadn't even seen him in two weeks and I was perfectly happy with that." Elena and Bonnie's eyes quickly grew worried.

"You saw Damon? Where?" they asked in usion and I shook my head in exasperation at them.

"Why do you need to know?" I rolled my eyes at their expectant faces before giving in. "He was at the grill, I told him to stop harassing you, a decision I'm starting to regret," I paused, shooting Bonnie a glare. "And then Stefan showed up, he was up to something that you two probably know about but have decided not to tell me, as per usual, so I came home. Happy?" Elena sighed.

"We don't know what he's up to, all he said was that he was going to talk to Damon. That's the _truth._" I stared at the pair for a few moments.

"Clue me in on the entire situation, _now._"

* * *

><p>After what felt like hours but was only five minutes, the girls caught me up to date with everything that was going on - Bonnie's dreams about Emily, her sleepwalking, Damon harassing her for the necklace, everything.<p>

"Stefan said that the necklace originally belonged to Katherine."

"Katherine? As in the woman who turned them, Katherine?" Elena nodded in response.

"That makes sense. I mean, he refused to tell me anything about that necklace, but I knew it was important to him." I said, just as Caroline entered my bedroom holding the pendant in question. She smiled at the three of us before handing it to Bonnie and I came to the conclusion that they had spoken before Elena and Bonnie came to talk to me.

"There's _way_ too much drama in this room so we need to do something fun. Is there anything you guys want to do?" we all shrugged and Caroline gasped sharply before jumping up and down in front of us.

"We should totally have a séance!" we all groaned, particularly Bonnie who was obviously seeing way too much of her ancestor Emily, as she objected to the idea the loudest. "Guys, don't be like that! Let's summon some spirits! C'mon, this Emily chick has some serious explaining to do." Without even looking at Elena or Bonnie I knew that we were all thinking the exact same thing; we may not like the idea but getting some answers could be very beneficial.

It took about twenty minutes to set everything up, including lighting the candles, switching off the lights and rearranging some of my furniture so that there would be enough space for the four of us to sit next to each other in a circle. We chose to have the séance in my room because Caroline didn't want to move which made me laugh, considering that it was her idea. When we were finally ready I linked my hands together with Elena and Bonnie's while Caroline took her seat opposite to me.

"Does anyone know what we're actually meant to say during a séance?" I asked, causing Bonnie and Elena to shake their heads.

"Just concentrate." Caroline muttered before closing her eyes and we followed suit. "Right, let's all take a deep breath. Bonnie, call her." Caroline demanded.

"Emily... you there?" I snorted quietly. _Great choice of words there, Bon._

"That's all you've got? _Emily, you there?_" Caroline repeated sarcastically. "C'mon, take this seriously."

"Alright, geeze," Bonnie took a deep breath before she continued. "Emily... I call on you. I know you have something that you need to tell me, so I'm here to listen." Bonnie said, loud and clearly. We sat waiting for something to happen, for a sign, something to signal that Emily was going to appear to us, but nothing happened; I opened one of my eyes slightly after a long moment of utter silence, ready to tell the girls that we were obviously wasting our time, but stopped when the fire perched on top of the candles doubled in size, before quickly returning to how it was before. Our hands all disconnected from each other's simultaneously.

"Did that just-"

"Yeah that just happened." Caroline said quickly in response to Elena's question. My eyes stayed glued onto the candle sticks and I held my breath, watching nervously to see if they'd change again. Caroline gasped but I didn't tear my gaze away to see what was wrong, I was too focused on the flames that were starting to burn holes into my eyes.

"It's just the air conditioning." Bonnie muttered, before the flames grew even higher than they did before. I recoiled sharply, finally taking my eyes away from the source of our panic.

"Ask her if she'll show you a sign. Ask her!" Caroline repeated after Bonnie shook her head, her eyes too entranced by the flames. I swallowed deeply, trying to ease my now dry throat, before opening my mouth to speak.

"Emily, if you're with us right now, then show us another sign." I said while my eyes span around the room, looking for anything that was out of place or signalled that Emily wanted to contact us. After a long pause I went back to staring at the candles again when nothing else happened.

"See it's... not working." Bonnie whispered and I stared at her intently, noticing how her chest moved up and down the fastest out of all of us. I linked my hand with hers once again and squeezed it gently, letting her know that despite our argument from earlier, I was here for her no matter what. Bonnie's hand slipped away from mine when my window opened abruptly and she quickly jumped to her feet.

"That's it, I'm done!" she shouted, before throwing Damon's necklace into the flames. They soared even higher, just for a moment, before they disappeared completely and everything turned to black. The only shape that I could make out in the darkness was Bonnie's silhouette and I felt Elena clutch my arm tightly, felt my breath get caught in my throat.

"Get the light! Please, turn on the light!" Bonnie screamed. I stood up quickly and made my way over to the other side of my room, reached for the switch that hung right next to my door, and pressed it. I inhaled as much air as I could when I felt my chest tighten in panic, but when the lights came back on I relaxed and leaned heavily against the wall, trying to regain my composure.

"Oh my god." Elena said, she too out of breath. Caroline gasped in horror, Bonnie's mouth hung wide open and I walked back over to the group to see what they were so worried about. When I reached them I realised immediately what had stunned them.

_The necklace... it's gone._

* * *

><p>We searched my room from top to bottom looking for the necklace, but it was nowhere to be found. After about ten minutes of ransacking my room I realised this, but since Bonnie couldn't comprehend the thought that it wasn't there, she continued to rummage through my room for it.<p>

"Okay we get it Caroline, fun's over. You made a point and I get it, so give it back." Elena said to the blonde.

"What? Well I didn't take it!" Caroline rebuffed, folding her arms over her chest in denial. I sighed and moved off of my bed, placing my hands on Bonnie's shoulders to spin her around so that she'd face me.

"It's not here Bonnie, it's not here." I said, rubbing her arms soothingly to get her to stop torturing herself. The fact that my room now looked like bomb site didn't bother me and I brought her into my arms, holding her head gently while I shot Elena a look. _What the hell are we meant to do now? _She shrugged helplessly, just as confused as I was, and just as I was about to ask Caroline the same question the sound of creaking floorboards outside of my room caught my attention.

A figure swept past the small space between my door and the frame and when I blinked it was gone, making me wonder whether I'd even heard anything at all. But when everyone's heads snapped towards the door and Bonnie quickly withdrew herself from my arms, I knew that I wasn't imagining things.

"What was that?" Caroline whispered, her petite frame growing rigid as the words left her mouth.

"I don't know. Nothing. Jeremy! Are you home?" Elena said loudly, peering outside of my door and into the hallway. I slowly walked up behind her and stared into the darkness, not noticing Bonnie move towards my bathroom.

"Err, guys?" we turned around at the sound of Bonnie's voice, my heart pounding against my ribcage when she disappeared out of my sight and into my bathroom. Elena, Caroline and I followed Bonnie anxiously to stand only a few meters away from her, just in time to see the dark-skinned witch pick the necklace up from the floor.

Right before the door slammed shut.

What followed next was a series of frenzied, horrified screams as we tried to desperately open the door that had now turned into a barrier, separating us from one of our best friends.

"Bonnie! Bonnie!" her name was the only word that would pass through my lips and I felt tears gather in the corner of my eyes when the lights started to flicker. Caroline screamed. Elena screamed. _I _screamed. And then, suddenly, it was all over. The lights went back to normal and the sound of the door unlocking was the only noise that could be heard aside from our hectic breathing.

"Bonnie?" Elena whispered as she opened the door. The girl in question clutched her head in her hands, refusing to move even when we entered the room. "What happened, are you okay?" my cousin asked timidly, unsure, like she didn't know if she wanted to find out the answer. Bonnie's head moved away from her hands slowly to look up at us, her hair extremely dishevelled.

"... I'm fine." She said carefully after a long pause, dragging out the words like she didn't understand what they meant. Caroline huffed next to me.

"You're unbelievable. You were totally faking it." She spat, shaking her head in disgust as Elena tried to calm her down. "No, Elena, let go of me!" Caroline demanded before returning her attention to Bonnie. "What's wrong with you? You scared the hell out of me!" she said, before turning around and leaving the room. I shot a look to Elena before slowly making my way towards Bonnie and reaching out my hand for her to take. She stared at it for a moment before shaking her head at me, and it dropped back down to my side as I looked at her in confusion.

"Bonnie?" Elena said gently.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine." She smiled at me with wide eyes before brushing past me and walking out of the door, causing me to shiver ever so slightly at the contact. _Her eyes and her voice... they seem different. She doesn't look at people like she's never seen them before, and she doesn't talk in such a lifeless like tone. _I shook my head before straightening my posture; I'm over thinking things. Tonight's been a little, well, _more_ than a little strange, so I shouldn't start reading into things. If Bonnie says she's fine then she's fine.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" Elena said, rushing out of the room. I followed her into the hallway just in time to see Bonnie walking down the stairs and Caroline being held back by Elena. "Woah, you guys can't leave."

"Oh yes I can, I've had enough freaky witch stuff for one night!" Bonnie paused in her decent down the stairs to turn and face us.

"Thank you for having me, I'll take it from here." She said cryptically, and I raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. _Take what from here?_

"Where are you going?" Elena asked, exasperated.

"To where it all began." She resumed her movement down the stairs and just as she was about to reach the door Elena's words stopped her.

"Oh my god, Emily!" I blinked as the realisation set in. Emily was with us, as we'd hoped. But she's not just with us now, she's one of us. She's inside of Bonnie.

"I won't let him have it, it must be destroyed." Elena and I ran down the stairs but we weren't quick enough, and by the time we reached the floor Emily was gone.

"Oh my god Brooke, it won't open." Her eyes turned cloudy with panic and I rushed towards the door, using all of my strength to make it move, but it wouldn't budge at all. Caroline came up behind us asking what was happening, and just as I felt my eyes start to burn hot with frustrated tears the wooden door flew open and a dark figure stood on the other side of it. Screams tore through our throats simultaneously and we jumped back instinctively, before realising that it was just my youngest cousin, Jeremy.

My cousin narrowed his eyes as he looked at us, slightly worried about our behaviour, but chose to ignore us and disappear into the kitchen, much to my relief. Caroline mumbled something to Elena and I before speeding out of the door, leaving the two of us to worry about Bonnie on our own.

"I need to call Stefan." I nodded in agreement.

"Right, you do that and I'll go grab my keys. We might have no idea where she is but we need to start somewhere." I said, before making my way quickly up the stairs. _How I'm meant to find anything in here I have no clue, _I thought as I entered my bedroom. I could barely see the floor and I had to step over everything carefully out of fear of breaking any of my valuable possessions; I sighed in relief when I spotted my bag sitting in the corner of my room and I fished my keys out of there before returning to Elena who was stood by my car.

"You know how we told you about Bonnie's sleepwalking?" I nodded slowly. "Emily always used to take her to fell's church, by the old cemetary. I could be wrong but, that's where I think she'll be." I smiled slightly at her, hoping to calm the look on her face that was contorted in misery.

"Yes, that makes sense. Don't worry, we're going to find her, Elena. I promise. She can't have gotten that far, and if Stefan's looking for her too then there's no way that we'll miss her. C'mon, get in." I said, motioning towards my car. Despite my words and the certainty in my voice, I was just as petrified as Elena was.

_I have no doubt that we'll find her, but when we do, who knows what state she'll be in?_

* * *

><p>"I think it's this way!" Elena shouted, a few meters in front of me. I felt my heart pump faster than ever, trying to push the blood around my body at an irregular pace, and I was so focused on breathing that I almost tripped face first over the roots of a tree.<p>

"Elena, you keep going, I'll catch up okay?" I panted when she started to slow down; she nodded before continuing and I paused to a halt for a few moments, trying desperately to catch my breath. _It's times like these that I really regret not working out more, looks like I'm going to have to change that, _I thought, before jumping back into a sluggish run in the direction I'd seen Elena head off in. My eyes squinted in the darkness, finding it difficult to see where I was going, but a bright light in the distance acted as my guide.

_Is that fire?_

The thought forced my pace to increase drastically, and I was moving so fast that everything around me became a blur. The only thing on my mind was making it to those blazing flames before something disastrous happened, before someone got hurt. That's what I wanted to happen, but that wasn't what I got. I got there _after _something disastrous happened and _after _someone got hurt.

The sight that greeted me wasn't of luminous fire, no, that had already burned out. Instead I was met by the sight of Bonnie lying motionless on the ground, Elena standing next to her staring at the floor hopelessly, Stefan crouched over Bonnie's small frame holding his torn wrist against her mouth, and Damon... who I've never seen so quiet. He was stood quite far away from the scene, like he wasn't a part of it, but one look at his lips and I knew that he was.

_Blood stained lips. The lips of a killer._

His blue orbs met mine and for whatever reason I couldn't tear my own away. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Stefan lean away from Bonnie, saw her move her head from side to side. I distantly heard Elena's overjoyed voice say that her neck was healing, say that she couldn't believe what she was seeing, but it sounded like an echo in my mind, like she was much further away from me than she was, like this entire thing was just a memory replaying itself in my head.

"Oh my god, Brooke! Come here, you have to see this!" I blinked distractedly when Elena tugged on my arm, and when I reopened my eyes Damon was gone. She dragged me over to Bonnie, told me to look at her neck, but I couldn't focus on anything she was saying. It's not like I wasn't relieved that Bonnie was okay, god, nothing felt more relieving than seeing the wound on her skin close up and disappear like it was never there. But my mind couldn't focus, couldn't comprehend what had just happened, what Damon had just done.

_Why does he do this? Why does he continually try and lash out at everyone? It's like he wants to punish us. Like the issues of every day life just aren't hard enough to deal with, like we should be made to suffer along with him._

"Brooke, help me get her up." I nodded before kneeling down and wrapping my arm around Bonnie's right side, Elena grabbing the other. We slowly rose to a stand and I removed my hand from the witch, allowing her to collapse into Elena's waiting arms.

"Wha- what happ- happened? He attacked me. His face was like-" She stopped speaking, too overwhelmed by tears and confusion to carry on. I motioned for Elena to lean her against the car so I could talk to her quickly, only in hushed tones though because we didn't want to move very far away from Bonnie.

"You know what you need to do, don't you?" I asked, gently holding Elena's hands with my own. She nodded slightly in understanding while shooting nervous looks at the crying girl who was rubbing her neck gently. "It's going to be hard but Bonnie's a tough girl, she can handle knowing the truth. She needs to know about them." Elena nodded again, trying to disconnect her hands from mine but I stopped her, placing my keys in her palm. "Take my car and take her back to her place, I'll find my own way home."

"What? No, you'll get lost, I-"

"I'm twenty-one years old Elena, I think I know how to find my way home. I know you're scared but telling Bonnie is something you need to do alone. She doesn't need me right now, she needs _you._" I whispered as I let go of her hands. She swallowed deeply and stepped backwards towards Bonnie.

"Get home safe." She said, before taking Bonnie in her arms and leading her to the passenger seat. The sound of leaves rustling caught my attention and I span around to see Stefan who was standing alone and staring at us with sorrow written in his eyes.

"I'm not here to hurt you." He said, directly towards Bonnie, who started to hyperventilate at the sound of his voice. As Elena calmed her down and guided her into my car I returned my attentive gaze to Stefan.

"Where is he?" I asked with calculating eyes. He tilted his head to the space behind him and I nodded at Stefan in thanks before walking past him and going further into the woods, intent on finding his brother.

I found him sitting by the ruins of the old church, peering into the darkness. He wasn't facing me but I knew that he knew I was there, so I moved to sit next to him, not looking at him but staring straight ahead just like he was.

"Everything you've done... it was for Katherine, wasn't it?" my question reverberated around us, and I knew the answer without him even having to say anything. I turned my gaze to him, watching as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"My relationship with her was real for me. I wasn't duped like Stefan was. I knew exactly who she was and what she was like every single step of the way. She wasn't like other people, she was different. She didn't judge me." I shook my head gently.

"I never wanted to judge you, you know that. You don't make it very easy on people." His lips curved upwards, not in the amused, arrogant way they usually did, but in understanding. "Believe it or not Damon but I did like you. The person you were when I met you... I thought that it was all pretend up until twenty minutes ago, but no-one can keep up an act like that for the length of time you did unless there is some truth to it. You had ulterior motives but they were inspired by love. _That _is the best side of you, Damon, and it does exist. Your actions are what make people dislike you, and you can deny it as much as you want but I know that's not the only side to you." He turned to face me and rose a challenging eyebrow at me.

"You're just a man in love. That's all. And you're hurt, so hurt that you think acting the way you do is the easiest way to live life. I'm sorry, about Katherine, but you need to let her go, or this is the best life is going to get for you. Is this what you imagined for yourself all those years ago back in eighteen-sixty-four? Is this what you wanted?" I said as I stood up, brushing down my jeans before turning around so that I could start the long walk back home.

"You should know better than to expect life to turn out the way you want it to. You don't believe me, fine, but this _is _the only side to me Brooke. You were right about Katherine, everything I've ever done is for her, hell, I _breathe _for her. Not that it matters now that that _damn_ crystal is gone," he said angrily. "So don't you feel bad for me Brooke, because I have nothing left here worth waiting for. C'mon, put a smile on your face. I'll be gone by the end of the week, doesn't that sound like cause for celebration?" my footsteps crashed to a halt.

_He's leaving?_

I whirled around, expecting to see Damon's sarcastic smirk but was met with nothing but empty space, completely void of life.

_He's not leaving, he's already gone._

* * *

><p>My journey back home took much longer than I thought it would, but I barely even noticed the time pass by. My mind was distracted, trying to process tonight's events. Coming clean about Damon, finding out about Emily, arguing with Elena and Bonnie, having a séance, Bonnie getting possessed, Bonnie getting bitten by Damon, Stefan saving Bonnie, my talk with Damon... it all blurred into a huge web of confusion, fright and sorrow.<p>

I was so caught up in my thoughts that when I finally arrived home, at half past twelve, it only just occurred to me that Jenna was going to be pissed with me, _again._

_I swear that I never catch a break, _I thought as I made my way up the driveway. _I think the best thing to do is go and take a shower, go to sleep and hope that this night was all just some tragic nightmare that I'm waiting to wake up from. Oh, and some vodka never hurt anyone.  
><em>

I was so focused on my plan to get wasted and forget about the day that I didn't notice that there was someone standing on the porch until the sound of their hand knocking against the door drew me away from my thoughts. I made my way up the stairs and narrowed my eyes in confusion at the figure standing in front of me. _Why do I get the feeling that I know this person?_

"Excuse me, is there something I can help you with-" The question died in my throat when the person turned around to face me.

"_Logan_?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **So, that concludes **History Repeating**, I hope it was satisfactory!  
><em>

_I know this chapter didn't contain much Damon but I'm **very **excited about the next chapter, it's **packed** with scenes between Damon and Brooke and I've been dying to write it for a while now, so keep your eyes peeled for an update that will come **much sooner** than this one has.  
><em>

_**Review if you want to see the next chapter very soon! :)**  
><em>


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